Just an Average Day of an Alien
by SamAP
Summary: Random oneshots tied together. Also, it's my update story. Most chapters come with an update. Want to suggest a story? Go ahead! Follows my TF Storyline. Complete Romantically Apocalyptic chapter in Chp3. Check it out if you love Zee Captain!
1. One More Christmas Story

_Merry Christmas! Well, Merry Christmas to those on the eastern side of the world and Merry Christmas Eve to those in the west. I was originally going to put this up yesterday but I got the gift of sickness this year (not complaining though) and I didn't have the strength to post. Even today, I lagged slightly (as you can tell). I just hope I haven't missed Christmas for any of you. If you don't celebrate Christmas for whatever reason then sorry to sound a little obsessed with it but to me, it's very important. I hope that this one chapter doesn't offend you too much._

_Just a few more notes. The next chapter will not be an actual chapter for reasons that will be explained later. The story 'Twas the Night Before Christmas is referenced here and does not belong to me. I suggest you keep a tab open and look towards that story as your own reference later on as it is used in a very creative way in my story (you'll know it when you see it). Also, a certain cameo appears in this chapter because it was suggested by one of my readers and I promised to put that in. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be the—'"<p>

"Question!" Sideswipe interrupted, raising his hand rather obnoxiously.

"Yes, Sideswipe?" groaned Nova as she plopped next to the mock fireplace that was placed in the rec. room. It was just one of the huge screens taken from the control room and set to display a flickering fire.

"Okay, one, who is this St. Nicholas? Two, we don't live in a house, we live on a base. Three, I hardly believe that not even mice would be moving about. And on the same note, if those people were hanging the stockings, then wouldn't that mean they were 'stirring?'" he asked, ticking each observation with a digit.

The femme stared at him with a "Really?" expression. After a long enough pause passed, she proceeded to ignore him.

"'The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads—'"

"Now, why would any sane, human child be dreaming about sugar-plums?" he cut in once more, earning a growl from a now agitated Nova.

"Sideswipe," she slowly gritted through her teeth, "this is a _children's_ story. It is not meant to be taken seriously nor will it be a hundred percent accurate." It was almost painful the way she had to hold back the lashing anger that was welling inside of her. She couldn't, of course, because there were four sparklings sitting right in front of her, listening as best they could to the story. Or more like five sparklings since Sideswipe insisted on acting like one.

He had joined in on the story telling when he saw Nova explaining what Christmas was and the many traditions that came along with it. She talked of other holiday rituals that belonged to other religions but since the N.E.S.T. base had the majority of Christians and Catholics, Christmas was the theme of her lesson.

Sunstreaker was in the room, too, except he was listening from afar, on the couch, unlike his brother who had scooted up close to sit with the kids. Bumblebee was placed right next to Nova, listening to the Earth customs. He was also there because Bonnie dragged him there to listen to the story.

"I understand that this was meant for the younger demographic, but the humans should at least have the decency to spread the truth to children, not lies," he rebutted with a scoff. As smoothly as he could, Sideswipe repositioned his leg to a more comfortable position. It had to be done slowly and gently for a small pair of twins had used it as a chair while the other two sparklings were on his other leg.

Light Wing clamped down on his leg with her teeth when he moved it. It didn't hurt at all but for some reason, that little femme just had a knack for gnawing on things. She let out a small roar as Sideswipe shifted around.

"Humans make these stories for entertainment. It doesn't have to be true as long as it won't hurt anyone. Besides, it teaches kids a lesson sometimes," she reasoned. It was obvious that they weren't going to finish the story anytime soon, but that was okay, she had a lot of other tales to tell at a different time. Nova was lucky that she could visit the library in Washington D.C. before they moved to the island base.

"Oh? And what lesson are we teaching these kids, here? That a fat pervert watches them sleep at night to determine how bad they've been?" he snaps sarcastically.

"No, you delusional twit, we teach them that they should be good all year long so that they can get presents on Christmas day. That's not the only lesson either. The whole point of Christmas is to get together with your family and loved ones and give thanks to all that you have. To give and receive. To look forward to the new year," she explained, trying very hard to get Sides into the holiday spirit.

"I thought the humans did that last month. What did they call it? Thanksgiving?"

"That's different, Sides," she exhaled, looking to Bumblebee for help. He just shook his head and shrugged. "Thanks for the support," she whispered.

"Sides, you should be good or else Santa won't give you a gift," Aiden told him as he tried to shush the red mech from his antics.

"Please, Santa's got nothing on me. He's probably not even real. I mean, come on! One guy visiting every house in the entire world? Impossible," he snorted.

Sunstreaker may have been a good distance away from the group, but even he knew what was going to happen. It's been done before in an almost predictable pattern. Nova was going to prove him wrong.

"Santa is, too, real," Bonnie commented, looking up at her guardian.

"Nuh-uh, because you know what's going to happen on Christmas day? I'm going to get a present that came from someone I _know_, not a creepy stalker who will magically give me what I want," he returned childishly.

"Hmm, challenge accepted," Nova mused to herself in a mischievous way.

"What was that?" Sides asked.

"Oh, nothing," she answered sweetly. Already, the femme made knowing optic-contact with Bee and Sunstreaker. This was going to be a fun Christmas.

"So tell me more about this Christmas thing. I've seen the humans celebrate it every year, but now, I'm kind of actually interested. I heard something about missiles, toes, and kissing," he said blankly.

"Somehow, I knew that would tickle your fancy."

"Whoa, no one is going anywhere near my fancy to tickle it," he automatically stated, scooting back with all four children still attached to him.

"Be quiet, you know what I meant," she chuckled along with Bumblebee. "Anyway, silly mech, it's called mistletoe and if you get caught standing under it, you have to kiss the person who's standing under it, too."

"Finally, a human tradition I actually like," he cheered.

"Hilarious," Nova returned sarcastically. "There are more traditions if you're interested."

"Does it involve 'interaction' with the femme and/or female species?" he asked, quirking an optic ridge.

"That's disgusting, Sides," Sunstreaker remarked.

"What are you talking about? You would ask the same—"

"I meant the female part. You'd really kiss a human?" he uttered with disgust.

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it."

"All right, that's it for today's cultural lesson. Once again, Sideswipe has turned something so innocent and pure into something raunchy and risqué. Thank you very much for ruining this," Nova said, rolling her optics and picking up the baby twins while the other kids trotted behind her.

"That's the same thing she said when we met. Now look at her, still the same sexy beast I turned her into," Sideswipe purred.

"What makes you think _you_ did that to her? Maybe she wanted to look better because I was so smoking hot," Sunstreaker chided with, letting his brother sit next to him on the couch.

"Uh, no. She saw my beauty and knew that if she would ever have a chance with me, she'd have to step up her game a little."

"Or, she was already like that and you two are just idiots," Bumblebee grumbled, getting up to get the Pit out of the room.

The twins shared a look before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah, right," they chimed at the same time. Bumblebee waved them off and sighed, walking away.

* * *

><p>Prowl walked out of the control room, ready to recharge when he passed under a large obstruction hanging from the ceiling. It looked just about ready to crush someone under its weight.<p>

"What the Pit?" He scanned it repeatedly, looking for any clues as to who may have put that up there. It was a large tree branch hanging by a bungee cord. The only other presence in the hall was Nova who strolled from behind him, oblivious to the huge plant life hanging precariously above them.

"Nova, do you know who did this?" he asked her, pointing upwards.

She followed his finger and sighed when she saw what it was. Cooing slightly at the confused mech in front of her, she patted his cheek.

"That's such a cute attempt at a free kiss, Prowl, but if you wanted one, all you need to do is ask," she babied, pecking him on the cheek before leaving.

Prowl was now even more lost. What plant was above him and why did Nova show affection after she looked at it? Scanning it once more, he found out that it was called mistletoe but that didn't answer anything. The strategist tried to use the internet to reference it to human customs but his energy supply was already bordering low so he didn't get very far.

He saw Ironhide crossing from the hallway that was to his right and decided to ask him.

"Ironhide, do you know what this is doing here?" Prowl asked, gesturing to the mistletoe.

Hide knew well of the Earth custom to kiss people who stood under the mistletoe. It put him on edge just to think about it. Kissing random people just because a plant was hanging over you, it was silly and seemingly devious at the same time.

After glaring at the offending greenery for a while he bore burning optics at the mech in front of him.

"That's perverted, Prowl," he growled, continuing on his way.

"What's Hide's problem?" Arcee asked from behind Prowl.

"I am not sure. I simply asked what this mistletoe was doing up there. It is very dangerous to leave it hanging unsupervised. By the looks of it, it might fall at anytime now," he told her, deciding that he really shouldn't be standing right under it.

"Ooh, mistletoe. Here you go!" she chirped, standing as tall as possible to be able to give him a kiss on the lip plates. "You don't need to act dumb, just standing there is fine," she called before leaving him even more dumbfounded.

"What is going on here?" he asked himself, gazing at the plant. From what he's gathered so far, it makes femmes extraordinarily affectionate when they neared it and it made mechs mad. Well, Prowl did feel angrier than usual when standing under it. "Oh no." This could only mean one thing. "It contains the power of hypnosis!"

He quickly shot the cord that held it so it fell into his arms. Prowl held it as far from him as he could, trying to find a proper container until he knew how to correctly discard it. The storage closet was open and empty, a perfect place to hide the terrible thing. The door was promptly locked and Prowl was on his way to his quarters.

The strategist wondered about how such a simple plant could harness such powerful powers. It could spell disaster if the thing spread around. Did it affect humans, too? Maybe not, they've lived with it for centuries. Then again, there were many things humans were forced to live with and were not immune to. He should probably alert Colonel Lennox.

Folding down to his alt-mode, Prowl activated his holoform and walked near the high traffic area that contained humans. The colonel was talking with a soldier, Graham to be exact, in a small room. Graham left the room and stopped suddenly. He tapped a female soldier on the shoulder and pointed up. She laughed and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

Prowl was stumped. It wasn't like females to be so willing to show affection. Nor was it usual for Special Agent Graham to be so spontaneous with the women. Glancing above the soldier for a second, Prowl stumbled backwards in horror. It was mistletoe! Of course, it was much smaller than the one near the control room.

He accidently bumped into a passing soldier who glanced upwards and kissed him before she went her way. Looking up as well, he spotted yet another mistletoe sprig. It was madness! Everywhere he looked, there it was. Mistletoe, mistletoe, mistletoe, a wreath, and mistletoe!

"Hey, Prowl, you okay there? You're looking a little pale. Or is that a holoform thing?" Mizuki asked, rubbing his shoulder to try and calm him down.

"It's everywhere, that thing! It's spreading across the entire base! We must rid its existence as soon as possible," he panicked, hyperventilating excessively.

"What's everywhere?" Mizuki asked him, looking utterly worried.

"Mistletoe!" he gasped, backing up when he spotted one near them. "It's using its hypnotic powers to control everyone here!"

The woman looked towards what he was starring at and laughed softly. These Cybertronians could be so naïve sometimes.

"Prowl, mistletoe doesn't have hypnotic powers," she chuckled, "it's just an Earth custom that takes place during the holidays. If you and someone, usually the opposite gender, get caught under the mistletoe, you have to kiss them. Simple as that."

"Th-that's all?" he asked with a quivering voice.

"Yes, that's all."

"But, it was spreading around, like some sort of disease."

"I promise that it won't spread around. A few of the personnel were probably just hanging them up to get into the holiday spirit," she explained, letting go of her grip on the mech's shoulder. He was less tense now.

"But that still doesn't explain how an entire branch of mistletoe was located near the control room. That height cannot be reached by a human nor could the mass of the branch be carried by only one," he relayed to her, his calm composure regaining.

"I think I might know how that got up there."

"Twins?"

"Twins."

* * *

><p><em>It was the night before Christmas and all through the base, not a creature was stirring. Not even a fidgety military strategist. Four sparklings' stockings were hung by the mock chimney with care, in hopes that Santa Clause soon would be there.<em>

"Come on kids, time to go to sleep," a drowsy Nova whispered, picking up the toddling twins in one arm and hefting the other two in the free one. Each child lay there helm onto her chest as she strode smoothly out of the rec. room. "You coming, Sides?" she asked before exiting the premises.

"I'll catch up, later," he answered absently, gazing at the brilliantly lit tree at the corner of the room. It looked so majestic considering all the lights were off except from the one that the fire was making. Something about it made him want to sit and stare for hours.

"Don't forget, Mizuki and the others are having a small Christmas Eve party in the cafeteria," she reminded quietly before slipping out.

Optimus met her in the sparklings' room, helping put them in their berths.

_The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of energon cookies danced in their heads._

"Are you going to the party?" Nova hummed as soft as she could.

"Afraid not," he breathed back, hugging her midsection.

"Even Primes need to have some fun," she joked, leaning her helm onto him.

"Not Primes who've been working all day and are ready to stasis lock themselves if they so much as even try to materialize a holoform," he kidded right back. "I found something today. Its affect on human traditions intrigued me." Optimus pulled something from behind his back and dangled it above the two of them.

"Mistletoe?"

It was a small piece, at least smaller than the one Prowl was standing under earlier, but it was definitely bigger than the regular sprig of mistletoe.

"Now, where did you get that?" she asked him with a small smile.

"I cannot answer you until I receive a kiss. It is the rules," he murmured light-heartedly.

"Oh, we can't be breaking the rules now, can we? That's not a very Prime-like thing to do," she mock-babied him. Complying with his request, Nova stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him on the lip plates for quite some time. It was slow and innocent but the magic was still there.

Feeling very joyful that night, Optimus began to slip his fingers through her sensitive wiring with intent on tickling her. He hit the nail on the head when she began to fold underneath him, squirming away from his fingers. Somehow they still maintained the kiss, though it broke apart every time Nova would laugh.

"Mph! St-stop it!" she mumbled, finally giving in and disconnecting from the childish mech in her presence. "That's it, no more Nova for you. Go recharge," the femme giggled, pushing him through the door to their quarters.

"But there is still so much more we can do," he offered mischievously, craning his neck so he could see her behind him.

"To bed, youngling," she snapped kiddingly, smacking his aft as he finally entered the other room. Even before Optimus could turn around and face her, Nova quickly closed the door and chuckled to herself. "Horny mech."

Nova traveled to the cafeteria, going at a steady pace by doctor's orders. They were originally going to spend Christmas Eve in a small lounge the humans' had but since Nova wasn't allowed to transform to her organic self, they moved to a bigger environment. It wouldn't be a lie if she said that she felt a bit left out since everyone was either human or holoform.

Nova walked in to see Sunstreaker and Mizuki glaring at each other while Sideswipe and Bumblebee were doing the same.

"What is—?"

"Shh!" Jazz snapped, watching the four intensely. "They've been staring for two minutes," he whispered, still not making optic contact with the purple femme.

"May I know who's winning?" Nova hummed as she kneeled for a closer look.

"This is it," he explained, "the others, including myself, have lost already. But Epps and Lennox are betting on Sunstreaker and Mizuki to win. That's where the partnership stops, though. Epps thinks Mizi is going to win while Will thinks Sunny might. It's all very interesting."

_Nova in her bipedal mode, the others in holoform, had just settled down for a long, tedious staring contest._

"This is the most boring thing that has ever happened at a party," Nova whispered.

"Hey, don't look at me. They started it," he said, gesturing to Sunny and Mizuki. "It wasn't even a game until Sides said he thought it should be. Those two were just glaring at each other for the heck of it."

"Sunny never really liked Mizuki," Nova mused. After a few seconds of thinking, she whispered to Jazz again. "Wanna make things even more interesting?"

"I don't have any money," he answered automatically. Living with humans, especially humans that lead some of the most boring lives, Jazz was pretty accustomed to the word "Interesting" and the fact that it meant a bet would soon follow.

"That's not what I meant. I was talking about some interference."

"Oh, you really shouldn't do that," he drawled, looking worriedly to his best friend. "You know Sunstreaker hates it when you 'interfere.'"

"He hates a lot of things I do, but there's gotta be _anything_ better to do than spend Christmas Eve staring at each other," she reasoned with a sigh.

"That's a good point. You willing to do it?" Now he was just taunting her.

Without answering him, she stood to her full height over the competing pairs. Expertly not raising any attention to herself, she placed her servos a good distance apart. Winking at Jazz for a brief second before, Nova crashed her palms together, making a very loud, and very startling, clap.

Leo screamed. Bumblebee fell over. Sideswipe did a little mix of both. Lennox clung to Epps. Epps shoved Lennox. Maggie and Glenn did pretty much the same thing as the two, aforementioned soldiers. Sam and Mikaela were the first to start laughing. Jolt and the Chevy twins joined shortly after. Jazz was just shaking his head and chuckling at the same time. The only thing that didn't change were Mizuki and Sunstreaker who were still glaring it out.

"You guys really hate each other, don't you?" Nova asked.

"With all my spark."

"Don't doubt it for a second," came the replies in unison.

Suddenly, a loud and disturbing noise echoed from a little ways away.

"What was that?" Will asked, stepping closer to the noise.

"It's probably Nova doing tricks to make them lose," bit Sideswipe. He didn't take the defeat lightly.

"Sides, mech up and go check it out," Nova grumbled, not really wanting to deal with his attitude right now.

"Why should I? You made me lose," he whined.

"Stop being such a sparkling and go," she argued back.

"What do _you_ know about sparklings?"

"…"

"Okay, I'll go."

_Out on the tarmac arose such a clatter. He sprang from the floor to see what was the matter. Away to the exit he flew in a flash, tore the door wide open, accidently kicking over the trash._

"Someone's gonna bitch at me for that," he grumbled to himself, not even caring about the spilled garbage. Sides was there in bipedal form, where the noise originated, but he could see nothing. Did he really just leave the comfort of the base for a chilled breeze and probably a stray cat that knocked something over?

_The moon on the breast of the freshly swept sand gave the illusion of a place that was quite grand._

"This island sucks," he spat randomly as he surveyed the area. "Freezing nights, boiling days, and sand in every crevice. Washington wasn't as spontaneous as this. And it's snowing there, too," Sides grumped to no one in particular.

_When, what to his wondering optics should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer._

"What the fr…?"

_With a little old driver, so lively and quick, Sides knew in that moment that it was…_

"Frag it, what was his name again? If only Nova finished that fragging story," he grouched. "Oh yeah, it was—"

_St. Nick. More rapid than an eagle, his coursers they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name._

Sideswipe had to squint in order to see, but it was there, a pudgy, red blob floating on the skyline. The blob was getting closer, too. It was obviously no threat, but the mech refused to believe that Santa was real. No human should be able to do that. And that human was speaking words of some kind.

"_Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the tarmac! To the top of the wall! Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!"_

All Sideswipe was thinking was, _What kind of high-grade did I drink and where can I get more of it?_

_As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky._

"What the frag? Where'd all the leaves come from?" he yelled to himself. The forest was too far to carry leaves over this side of the base. And on top of that, the leaves Sideswipe saw where not of any that currently inhabited the island.

_So up to the rooftop the coursers they flew, with a sleigh full of toys and St. Nicholas, too. And then in a twinkling, Sides heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof._

"This is some messed up slag," he muttered, bordering on insane.

_As he drew into the base, turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound._

Sideswipe ducked quickly behind some machines that obstructed the intruder from seeing him.

"What the _frag_? I didn't even know we had a chimney!" he yelled in a whisper. The mech dared a peek to the fat man who was trespassing the grounds.

_He was dressed in all fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes—how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks were likes roses, his nose like a cherry!_

"Why the frag am I thinking in rhymes?" Sideswipe commented to himself.

_His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow._

"If I ever get to see snow."

_The stump of his pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a round little belly that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf. And Sides laughed when he saw him, in spite of himself._

"This guy looks hilarious," Sideswipe snorted. He never understood Earth fashion but one thing was for sure, this guy didn't either.

_A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave Sideswipe the knowing he had nothing to dread._

The mech crawled a little bit out of his hiding spot to observe this _Santa._ It was interesting how he barely acknowledged the fact that there was a giant alien robot watching him.

_He spoke not a word but went straight to his work and filled all the stockings then turned with a jerk. Laying his finger aside his nose and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose._

"The Pit? How'd you get up there?" Sideswipe muttered, chasing after the elusive fat-man. The second Santa left the premises, the chimney magically disappeared and turned back to the exhaust vent it really was. "Okay, I'm actually unconscious in the med bay and this is some karma induced dream… Yeah right."

_He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But Sides heard him exclaim, before he drove out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!" _

"There's something wrong with that man." The mech looked down to see that "Santa" had left something after all. It was a red sack, akin to the one he had with him, except there was a letter resting on top of it… addressed to Sideswipe.

_Seeing is not always believing,  
>yet believing is seeing. Remember that for<br>next year, youngling. Primus isn't the only one  
>watching over you. Give these to your friends…<br>And try the hat. I know you want to._

_~S.C._

"What ha—?" As if an answer to his question, Sides look down and saw a hat that looked a lot like Santa's hat, except it was Sides' size. It was official, Sideswipe now believed in Santa Claus. He plucked the sack and dashed to the others, his hat donned proudly on his helm.

"Hey guys, guess who I just met?" he bursted, seeing how everyone was still in the vegetation state he left them in.

"Santa Clause?" Nova drawled, taunting him for she knew the truth.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" he panted, still not fazed by her seemingly omniscient attitude.

"It was a Christmas prank, surprise!" she laughed. Nova wondered where he got that hat, she didn't tell Special Agent Graham to give him that. Nor did she know he had one.

"What are you talking about? I just saw a jolly, red, fat-man fly off on eight little rodents."

"Reindeer," she corrected, now being joined in snickers with the others. "And we got Graham to play Santa. It was just our little scheme to get you into the spirit of things," she sighed, adoring his naïveté.

"Wait…" he suddenly said, giving this the utmost thought. It proved harder than he imagined. "Give me a few more kliks."

"How about an orn," scoffed Sunstreaker who decided to change into bipedal mode, fearing that his twin has gone insane.

"No, wait, wait, wait… if Graham was supposed to be the Santa I saw… then what's he doing over there?" he pointed to behind everyone where a conversing soldier was absent to the events around him.

"Graham!" Nova snapped. "I thought I told you to pretend to be Santa!" She gasped through her words, adding a much more dramatic effect.

"Yeah, but then I got a note telling me that someone else was doing it," he reasoned, looking for all the world like he was innocent.

"Who the frag told you that?" Nova countered, very annoyed right now.

"I don't know, the note was signed S.C. but I didn't know anyone by those initials," he shrugged.

"Okay, hold on. If you weren't Santa but _you_ saw Santa," she gestured to Sideswipe, "then who was Santa?"

A completely silent five minutes flew by while everyone was looking at each other. Almost at the exact same time, every 'Bot, human, and holoform sprinted out of the room and into the tarmac.

A quick scan of the sky showed a small speck of red and the distinct words of "Ho, ho, ho!" emanating from it.

"Holy Primus… he _is _real," Nova murmured in a hushed tone.

"Told ya," Sideswipe said in triumph, holding the sack of goodies in his arm. He could barely make it out, but with much straining of his already highly sensitive optics, the mech could've sworn that he saw St. Nick wink at him.

That's when it started to snow.

"What the frag? Sides, what did you do?" Nova gasped, choking out a laugh when the cold drops of winter made contact with her armor. She didn't know whether to be worried or amazed. It was snowing! But it was also snowing on an island that was right next to Mexico. It could've been pollution affecting the atmosphere for all they knew.

Then again, it was Christmas Eve, who would want to question a white Christmas?

"Well damn, it's snowing," Will chuckled uneasily. He, too, was unsure of what to think about this odd weather. "As long as it doesn't interfere with my flight later, I'll be fine," he murmured to himself.

"Only one thing could make this night perfect," Sideswipe sighed, hydraulics hissing as he shifted his stance.

"More perfect than seeing snow for the first time on Christmas while we're on an island located on the equator?" Nova asked him, chuckling at his longing look.

"Yep, just one more detail." With a wave of hope passing him, the red mech looked up at the overhang above them. Placed right on top of him was a small yet elegant sprig of mistletoe, tied gracefully with a golden ribbon. "Hey, Nova."

"Hmm?"

"Look up."

She did as asked at laughed breathily at both Sides and herself.

"Is this your perfect night now?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chassis.

"Almost, I'm still waiting for something," he sang, making it obvious that he wanted a kiss.

"Adorable," she scoffed sarcastically. It was the holidays so Nova decided, _Why not?_ Bending over, she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek plate, feeling it warm up as she made contact. "Goodnight, Sides. You better put those gifts under the tree before you go to sleep. Don't wanna forget them, now do you?"

"Wha…?" he mumbled, dazed from her affection. Of all the vorns he's tried to get her to kiss him voluntarily, it turns out that all he needed was a small plant. _I love Earth._

* * *

><p>Come Christmas morning, all the children woke up earlier than usual. They would've dashed to check what Santa left them under the tree, but they couldn't open the door. Nova and Optimus had told them that they could not leave the room unless an adult was watching them. So there they were, trapped in the child prison.<p>

"I wanna get out!" Bonnie moaned, leaning against the wall. Aiden was there, too, waiting a tad bit impatiently. This was probably the only day of the year where he would show any selfish wants.

"Me, too," he groaned. The only form of time passing they had was watching the sparklings in the crib bounce around.

Aileron had tripped in his crib and as he was getting up, Light Wing plopped herself onto his helm, gnawing gently on the cords located there, albeit savagely.

"She's going to eat him one day," Bonnie sighed, observing the twins' quarreling.

"If she doesn't eat herself first," Aiden mumbled, dying a little inside with every second that passed by.

"What do you think is taking them so long?" Bonnie whined, referring to their parents.

"Bonnie, they're big 'Bots. They do a lot of work. Of course they won't be able to wake up so early," Aiden reasoned, though he was beginning to question his parents sleep schedule as well.

"You think we should take them out?" the little femme asked as the twins began to yell in a primal fashion, signaling that they wanted to leave their trap.

"I suppose," he sighed.

Bonnie, being the taller of the two, undid the latch on the crib and lowered the bars. She wasn't expecting the twins to fall on her as she took away the only thing supporting them. A loud crash was heard as Bonnie yelped when they landed on her. Aiden helped by grabbing Light Wing which resulted in the little femme to bite on his cords. Aileron was just laughing at the face his older sister made when he crawled onto her head.

"Hey, what happened in here?" an alert mother asked, walking into the odd scenario in front of her. "Just couldn't wait for Christmas, could you?" Nova laughed when it became obvious that her children were impatient. Optimus stepped in behind her, smiling at his offspring.

"Perhaps we should let them out then. They seemed to have waited long enough," he hummed, taking Light Wing off of Aiden's hands while Nova did the same with Aileron. Optimus opened the door and as soon as he did, Bonnie and Aiden dashed to the rec. room, wide smiles on their faces.

The second they did though, both stopped simultaneously. The kids turned around and raced back to the room. Bonnie took Optimus' hand while Aiden took Nova's.

"Come on, guys, you're going too slow," Bonnie said, tugging on the immovable wall that was her father.

"We might not be the first ones there," Aiden reminded, pulling like Bonnie was.

The parents, for one, were very confused. They shared a look before Nova turned her attention back to the little sparklings.

"You don't have to wait for us, go, we'll meet up with you," she offered, scooting Aiden along.

"But that's not what Christmas is about," he automatically said, stopping his tug-of-war with Nova's arm.

"Yeah, you always tell us that Christmas is a time to spend with your family. We can't spend time with you if we leave you here," Bonnie explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

_That's the most adorable and sincere things our kids have ever said, _Nova stated through their bond as she witnessed the epiphany taking place.

_We have raised them well, _Optimus responded.

"All right, if you guys want to get there quickly," Nova said mischievously, picking up Aiden in her free arm, "then… I'll race ya!" She took off, leaving Optimus and Bonnie in the dust.

"Daddy, come on, they're gonna beat us!" Bonnie giggled.

"Do you remember who I am?" he started, placing his daughter on his shoulders. "I am Optimus _Prime._ I will get you there first." And just like that, he was off. Optimus knew this base better than Nova did, considering he had to walk around it many, many times. With that fact in mind, he knew every shortcut in this place.

He made a few sharp turns in order to reach the rec. room. Using his advantage of having longer legs, ergo bigger strides, he found Nova scurrying near the entrance. Optimus' team was right behind her. Quickly handing Light Wing to Bonnie, where he knew she'd be safe, the mech scooped up Nova as he almost collided into her, instead of dodging the purple femme.

"It's a tie!" Bonnie exclaimed, crawling from his shoulders to her mother.

The children detached themselves from Optimus, and Nova hopped down as well. Before leaving earshot, she whispered in his audios.

"I would've won."

"Would you prefer a rematch?" he challenged.

"Next time on my terms, Prime," she teased.

They were both glad that no one was disturbed by their sprint around the base. Most, if not all, the humans were gone for the holidays. Only a handful stayed behind to watch over the base in case of emergency. Prime had assured Lennox that having most of the humans gone for the weekend would be okay. It's not like the 'Bots couldn't live a day without them anyway.

"Okay, so," Nova said, snapping Bonnie's and Aiden's attention to her, "since everyone is still sleeping, I'll let you pick out only _one_ present."

The two nodded and dived into the massive tree. If it weren't for the glint of metal every now and then, Nova would've sworn that her children had disappeared. Finally, after several minutes, they popped out with a small box. Well, small compared to the big 'Bots.

"Oh, no sweetie, I meant you can pick one present each," Nova clarified, kneeling to put the box back. She had handed Aileron to Optimus already. The mech in question was seated near the skirt of the tree, waiting patiently for the other children to come out.

"We know, but we want to open that one first," Bonnie stated, pointing to the box in her mother's hand.

Nova glanced at the gift. What could possibly be in there that made them want to open _this one_ first? She handed it back to them and sat closer to her children, waiting for their reaction. To her surprise, they placed it in her servos once more.

"What's wrong? Wanna get another gift?"

"No, that one is yours," Aiden answered, smiling brightly as his mother looked shocked.

"You two are on a roll today," Nova commented, kissing both on the forehead. "Who's it from?"

"Daddy," Bonnie chirped, giggling when Optimus adopted a shocked look as well. "He told us to keep it a secret because it was super special."

"Super special, huh?" Nova murmured, giving her sparkmate a sideways glance. He scooted over closer to her and waited for her reaction. She opened the box gingerly and gasped as the blue glow emanating from the present enveloped her. "Optimus, it's… beautiful," she breathed, gazing upon the bright blue pendant. It was an intricate, oval shaped piece that practically swam with electricity. For some reason, Nova thought that this pendant could be alive.

"But it pales in comparison to your beauty," he hummed sweetly, taking the pendant and holding it delicately in his palm. In an instant, it began to break into millions of miniscule pieces, rearranging itself into that of a fragile flower. Optimus placed it onto Nova's helm where it attached itself to her. "It can change into what you wish it to be. And if you search its mainframe, you will find a surprise in there."

"More surprises? It's already so wonderful," Nova cooed, drawing him closer to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Ew," Bonnie giggled, covering her optics as Aiden followed suit.

_I should probably take this time to tell you that you'll have to open your present from me a little later in a more… private… location, _Nova purred through the bond, sending a few magnetic pulses to his chest plates.

_Then I shall wait patiently for this "gift," _he responded, leaning into her touch. They quickly cut the affection when they noticed the children trying to avert their optics.

_I'll give you a hint for now. You, me, and missing armor._

At least ten minutes later was when the others started waking up. Within that time, Nova found out that her gift had many different memories in its mainframe. The cheeky mech she was forced to love unconditionally made the thing so that it would constantly store every new memory file so she'd never lose another one again.

Obviously, the first place the other 'Bots would go to was the rec. room. Soon enough, everyone was there, passing around gifts and reminiscing of peaceful times.

"You know, I really wish the humans were here, right now. It just doesn't feel right without them celebrating with us," Nova confided to Jazz, leaning against the arm of the couch.

"Want another Christmas miracle?" he asked, nodding his head towards the still falling snow that could be seen through the slits on the wall.

"Are you offering?" she snorted, watching her children ask Optimus to go outside so they could play in the snow. He flashed her a questioning look before she nodded, giving them the permission to go.

"Today's a magical day… you never know," he spoke ominously, walking away at the end of his sentence.

"Screwed up, mech," Nova muttered, eyeing him in case he might have broken down or something.

"Hey, is there room in this party for a whole bunch of families?" a random Epps hollered, catching the attention of every single 'Bot within the vicinity.

"Epps! Will, Sarah, Mikaela! Glenn, Maggie!" Nova exclaimed, walking briskly over. "Leo, Sam, Mizuki… other people…" she trailed off awkwardly, seeing that there were just too many friends to list out. And then some. "What are you all doing here?" she asked, a smile wider than her face plates could accommodate.

"Well, a good friend of mine called me up and we got to talking. I figured that it can't possibly be a complete Christmas without spending it with my favorite extraterrestrials and my family," he explained, gesturing to his wife and kids as well as everyone else's. "It's a good thing we came, it was freaking snowing outside," he muttered to himself. By then, a majority of the soldiers' families knew about the Autobots.

Including little Annabelle who came over constantly when she wanted to play with Bonnie. In turn, Bonnie would regularly accompany Ironhide whenever he watched over the Lennox family.

"So who's this good friend that I have to meet? I really should thank the person who got the whole band together for the holidays," Nova stated, kneeling down to scan the area in case for some reason she'd be able to pick out who was responsible for all this.

"That would be me," a new voice spoke up. This man was tall with pale skin. A mop of thick, shaggy hair framed his face and connected to a strong jaw. Placed almost perfectly on his head was a dark fedora, his trademark if anything else.

As he stepped from the throng of friends and loved ones, gasps filled the air, immediately followed by gossiping whispers. The only ones who seemed to be out of the loop were the 'Bots.

"And 'me' is…?" Nova said, waiting for him to fill in the blanks.

"The name's Johnny," he answered, waiting for a reaction from the giant robot. This was his first time seeing these aliens up close. It was only through the idiocy of Epps and the cleverness of himself that he managed to find out about this entire operation. Johnny was not a gullible man, but he was open-minded. His only response to seeing a life force from a different planet were wide eyes and a small gasp. After his initial shock was over, he became his regular self.

"Well then, I'd like to thank you, Johnny," Nova said politely before freezing for a moment. _Wait a minute… Johnny? This couldn't possibly be… _"Hold on, Johnny as in Depp?" she asked, fearing the answer.

That was the reaction Mr. Depp was looking for.

"The one and only," he answered smugly.

"How do you know this human?" Sideswipe clicked in their native tongue.

"Uh, long story," she whirred back.

"Wait, Nova, is this the man you were talking about?" Bumblebee asked in Cybertronian.

"I hope not."

"Is there something wrong, Nova?" Epps asked, coming up from behind the actor.

"Nope, not at a—"

"Hold on. Nova? As in Nova Marx?" Johnny asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Um, now really isn't the best time," she tried to whisper nonchalantly, avoiding the inevitable.

"Nova, do you know this man?" Optimus asked, stepping up to her.

"Know me? This woman is practically my best friend. She's got quite an imagination… well, I can see that it wasn't really imaginary. Regardless, she has given Dreamworks such a great story. Not to mention Hasbro and a couple companies in Japan," he boasted, earning shocked looks from everyone.

"What is he speaking of?" Optimus asked her, knowing that she must've screwed something up by the way she refused to look him straight in the optic.

"Um, Optimus, baby," she started nervously.

He was suspicious now.

"That's odd. When you pitched me the story ideas, you never mentioned once that _you_ were in it," Johnny mused, taking his previous knowledge and connecting it with the scenario in front of him.

"What did you do?" Optimus questioned in a routine fashion. This wasn't the first time he's asked her that.

"Okay, please don't get mad but… It's a funny story, really, you're going to get a kick out of this… Remember, this was a long time ago, you really can't blame me for—," she was cut off from his glare. "You see, back when I was in Japan, I met this guy and apparently he was desperate for ideas for his company. Told me that he'd lose his job if he didn't get something quick. Optimus, he had a wife and kids, and he had to support his parents and—"

"Nova."

"So then anyway," she said quickly, "I pitied him and told him to make toys that transformed from vehicles to robots. I gave him the idea of Cybertron and the different factions. I even told him a couple stories. Somehow, he got a hold of me when I was in the States and… Remember that time when you let me go on recon for like two weeks with Bee?"

Optimus nodded and she continued.

"Well, I told Bee what I was up to and he did the recon mission by himself while I met up with the man from Japan who apparently skyrocketed in the business. By then, there were already so many different stories that have been altered from the ones I've told him. The only one that was as close to our true story was the first Transformers cartoon, Generation 1.

"Anyway, Johnny was there with us as a bystander. He talked this man into thinking about movie options. The Japanese man said he'd call someone and that's when Johnny and I started hanging out to brainstorm ideas. Turns out that the man called Steven Spielberg who, in turn, called Michael Bay. We all decided yes on the movie but by the time ideas needed to be made, I had to leave to go back to base. I told Johnny to be my idea liaison and to call me for anything.

"The movie is still in the process of being made but it focused on your guys' landing on Earth up until Megatron's death. I had to _painfully_ cut myself out of the movie because that would raise too much suspicion. The first movie is going to premier in 2007, or so Bay says." Nova waited for Optimus' reaction, trying to gauge if he was going to do anything severe to her. A thanks was sent to Primus for the fact that Prowl wasn't in the room. If he was, surely Nova would be sentenced to the brig.

After what seemed to be forever, Optimus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You are so lucky that I love you," he muttered, shaking his helm.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she told him, hugging his chassis as tight as possible. "Just remember, I didn't know that we were supposed to be so confidential back then, and besides, the funds were promised to us so the government can get off our backs."

"Consider that as a Christmas gift to all," Johnny exclaimed, smiling at the happiness that seemed to fill the room.

And to think… the day had only started.

Bumblebee sighed a breath of relief when the secret was finally out. It had been nearly impossible to keep quiet around the others.

A loud smack disturbed the peace that was established, and Bumblebee found himself falling backwards. The sound of Sideswipe laughing hysterically could be heard. The small, yellow 'Bot sluggishly picked his helm up, whirring in confusion. A cold, wet substance slipped down his face and sent a shiver through his body.

"Bee, Bee, Uncle Bee!" Bonnie exclaimed, waddling over towards the fallen mech. "Are you okay? Sides hit you with a snowball," she explained, holding back her giggles.

"Oh, Sideswipe," Nova drawled in an evil tone, "you must know that this… is now war."

The smile on his face dropped in record time as he sprinted away. A scatter of soft chuckles littered the area, Nova's included. She hovered over Bumblebee to pick him up and glided over to Ironhide quickly.

"Watch the twins, I have a score to settle," she laughed darkly. "You're coming with me, Bee."

And just like that, the two were off. A couple others joined them. The Chevy twins, Arcee triplets, Sunny, the kids, Jazz, and Jolt were just a few.

"This is going to end badly, isn't it?" Ironhide asked Optimus, little sparklings crawling all over him.

"Perhaps we should observe them, just in case anything goes wrong?" he responded, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Don't tell me you actually want to join them?" Ironhide scoffed, shaking his head in merriment.

"I _am_ a Prime, it is only natural that I partake in this battalion," he offered vaguely, disguising the pure childishness that was daring to peek out.

"And that's why I'm older than you, Prime," Hide sighed, walking outside with him, the humans following at their feet.

Somehow, within a matter of the few seconds the other 'Bots were out there, forts were built and teams were made. They were lucky that there was a sufficient amount of snow to make this all possible. Apparently, a small blizzard hit them during the night.

The older 'Bots were off to the side, some watching the baby twins, others watching the idiots that they were forced to live with. A couple mechs were taking some tests on this odd substance drifting down from the atmosphere—namely Wheeljack and Ratchet.

The humans who didn't partake in the game, which surprisingly were most of them, stayed near the base and stayed with their family, throwing small projectiles of semi-frozen water at each other.

A mishmash of Cybertronians and people were in the forest area, preparing for war. The leaders chosen for this little activity were Bonnie and Aiden. There were two chunks of forest surrounding a clearing in the middle, the perfect place for a snowball fight.

The game they were playing was Retrieve the Beacon, or in the humans' terms, Capture the Flag. The teams were this; Aiden, Nova, Sunstreaker, Skids, Bumblebee, Jazz, Arcee, Mizuki, and Epps. Bonnie's team consisted of Optimus, Mudflap, Sideswipe, Jolt, Mirage, Chromia, Will, and Graham.

"Okay, team, here's the game-plan," Aiden stated for all to hear. Their chunk of the forest was further away from the base, giving the advantage of being uphill. "Sunstreaker, Bumblebee, and Mizuki will be our offense. You three will travel on the edge of the forest where there is less likely of a chance to get hit. Sunstreaker, as much as possible, even if you have to physically restrain yourself, do not confront Sideswipe. He might not be better than you ability wise but knowing Bonnie, he will only lead you into a trap.

"We will have three lines of defense. Jazz and Skids will be on our frontlines. We must use not only our uphill advantage but our size as well. Do not engage an enemy until you have the perfect opportunity. Hide in the shadows, use the trees if you have to but keep the element of surprise.

"Our second line will consist of Arcee, Epps, and me. We will be stationed as such," he said, pointing to the diagram he drew in the snow. "Not one 'Bot must pass through us. On the off-chance that one does, Mom, you are our last hope. Surround yourself with ammo, you are to guard the beacon.

"I'd tell you to watch your sixes but in this game, we need to watch the entire clock, got that? I wish you all luck and I will want to see all of you at the winners' circle." A collective agreement sounded before Aiden nodded to his team. "Stations everyone, wait for the starting signal."

As everyone dispersed, Aiden trotted next to his mother before she could leave.

"Did I do good, Lala?" he asked, looking for her approval.

"Better than your father," she snickered, planting a kiss on the top of his helm before finding her designated area.

On the other side of the battle zone, Bonnie was drawing out the plan for her team. They had the forest closer to the base which meant a home field advantage.

"Team, we have many odds in our favor. Our size, our familiarization of this forest, and our connections, so I hope you all use your moves wisely. Our offense will have Daddy, Jolt, and Chromia. You two will be his defense," she pointed to the light blue mech and dark blue femme. "If I know Aiden, he will barrage our offense with even power. There is no resting on his field so move with a purpose. Do not be deceived, if you get past all his defenses, there will still be more defenses. Don't ask me how he does it, it just is.

"I want Mirage, Mudflap, and Sideswipe in front. Mudflap, Sideswipe, you both have brothers out there, if they come anywhere near here, distract them. Taunt them if you have to but at the most, separate them from their team. That's where Mirage comes in. When our opponents are distracted, hit them with your best shot. I know you have the ability to appear invisible but that doesn't mean you're not there. Tread lightly.

"Graham, Will, you two are with me. We're the last line of defense. If anyone gets through us, we're done. Stay low to the ground and aim for the feet, that's where they will least expect it. Do you all have this?" she asked, military leader poking through her childlike appearance. A strong sound of agreement graced her ears and then they scattered. Optimus stayed behind and knelt next to his child.

"Have you been spending time with Prowl again?" he asked with a small smile.

"Nope, Ironhide," she giggled, hopping over to her place.

"No wonder the plan is so vicious," he murmured, laughing silently at his sparkling.

In a matter of a few seconds, the buzz in communications signaled the start of the game. On Aiden's team, Sunstreaker, Bumblebee, and Mizuki drove quietly and quickly across the small clearing and onto the opposite side. They stayed close to the edge, just like Aiden had said, and were almost halfway there.

Mizuki was riding inside Bee when she saw something quiver out of her window.

"Bee, stop," she whispered. He did as told with Sunstreaker following suit.

"What, why are we stopping?" Sunny's annoyed voice spoke quietly through the radio.

"Something's out there… watching us," she spoke eerily. "Let me out," she snapped in a hushed tone. Once in the cold, winter snow, she dashed a couple feet before diving behind a tree. Mizuki sank to the base of the tree and closed her eyes, listening closely to her surroundings. All the while, she was preparing her ammo.

_Snap_, a branch went. At that instant, she whizzed from behind the tree and threw the snowball right into the air. The woman saw nothing but knew not to trust her eyes. The snowball landed with a clunk on what seemed to be nothing, as if it stopped in mid-flight. A flicker caught Mizuki's eye and after a few seconds, she saw Mirage with a disappointed look on his face.

"And I'm out," he drawled, walking to the clearing where he was to stay until the end of the game.

"Cool," Mizuki breathed, going back over towards Bumblebee. The yellow mechs had already transformed into bipedal mode, deeming that it would be easier if they walked from now on.

About a minute or two passed before a perfectly rounded snowball flew right across Sunstreaker's face. It almost hit him but he was faster than that. Turning his head to the right, the now angered mech saw his idiot brother snickering at him.

"Scared of a little snow, Sunnykins?" Sides taunted, scrunching his face plates in order to mock his twin.

Sunstreaker growled and prepared to charge Sideswipe but Bumblebee stood in front of him, blocking the way.

"Wait," Mizuki called up to him. "Don't do it, Sunstreaker. It's a trap."

"Can't… resist… killing brother… Must… inflict… pain," Sunstreaker grunted, pushing against the servo that was stopping him.

"You gonna let a little human femme tell you what to do? You gonna be her little bitch?" Sideswipe teased relentlessly.

"That's it!" Sunstreaker roared, rushing the retreating, red mech. In a flash, Sunstreaker was hit by a giant, sloppy wad of snow thrown by none other than Mudflap. Bonnie's soldiers were now heading for Bumblebee and Mizuki to which Sunstreaker responded with a, "Run!"

The remaining offense did as instructed and sprinted for the beacon. Mizuki was in Bumblebee's grasp as they met the last line of defense. The mech didn't stop running as he lowered his servo and let Mizuki gracefully glide to her feet, running as well. Fastidiously, the duo took aim at the two humans and one Bonnie, hitting all but one.

Mizuki had just grabbed the beacon while Bonnie and Bumblebee simultaneously threw a snowball at each other, both unable to dodge it.

"No, Bee!" Mizuki gasped, laughing as he dramatically acted out his death. "Now how am I supposed to get back to our base? I can't exactly run all the way," she scolded light-heartedly.

"Only you can make this world seem bright…" he played through the radio, earning himself an eye-roll.

"The things I do for these 'Bots," she muttered, starting her long journey to the other side.

On Aiden's playing field, his defenses worked like a charm. As expected, Bonnie's soldiers rushed straight through the middle of it all. Sure, they managed to take out the entire frontline but at least he got Chromia and Jolt out by the time they reached the second barrier. Unfortunately, Arcee, Epps, and he were also hit. The only ones left to defend was Nova and her only offender was Optimus.

It couldn't have been planned out better.

Aiden knew that his adair couldn't hurt his lalaith. He's seen it every day, and Aiden counted on that sympathy to win this battle.

Nova waited patiently for either an opponent or an ally to meet her. Apparently, the opponent was going to come first. She saw Optimus jogging over and the second she made her position clear to him, he almost stopped in his tracks.

"Somehow, I knew this was going to happen," she sighed, sauntering closer to him.

"It must be fate," he replied huskily, a rather bold move on his part. Optimus knew Nova wasn't counting on him to be so assertive but this was war, he wasn't the only one who knew how to win.

His face dipped close to hers as he pushed her backwards. They hit a tree and Optimus began to close the little space between them. The beacon was so close, he could feel it slipping into his grasp.

"Do you attack all the femmes you meet like this when you're at war," she tried almost unsteadily. Nova needed to get back on top before this flew out of hand. She slipped her petite servos under his chassis armor, dipping her digits through sensitive wiring.

It was abrupt and very random, which is why Optimus was so caught off guard. He almost dropped to his knees as she applied more and more pressure to his sensitivities. By then, it was Nova who was backing _him_ up against an adjacent tree. The tall mech was lowered to a kneeling position with Nova wrapping her servos around his and unnoticeably putting it behind the tree.

"I'm sorry, is this distracting you from the game?" she asked sweetly, planting kisses along his jaw.

"I—I… N-no," he breathed, barely coherent enough to know what was happening. Nova had been attacking him with soft, magnetic pulses in various places. It disoriented his mind greatly, sending the once respectable leader into a whirlpool of ecstasy.

"I bet it doesn't help when I do this," she whispered, forcing her chest plate even closer to his, getting the tingling sensation in both their spines. Nova mentally reprimanded herself, noting that this was supposed to be torture for him, not her. She couldn't lose herself now. Still, the electrical zaps that jumped from their sparks were so tempting.

Before this could go any further, Nova clicked the pair of cuffs in her hand around Optimus' servos, tying him to the tree. She immediately backed away, trying to remain of sound mind.

Once his thoughts were finally collected and pieced together, Optimus noticed some viable information. She was there and he was here. He wanted to be _there_ with her, but he couldn't move from _here_.

"You… cuffed me?" he asked incredulously, trying to jerk his arms free.

"Well, it was obvious that I couldn't restrain you manually. If I held you any longer, then to Pit with the game, you would be mine right here right now," Nova said smugly, taking into account that she, of all the creatures in the universe, singlehandedly took down Optimus Prime without so much as a scratch of paint.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her, feeling the contentedness in their bond and the seeing the smirk on her face.

"That you are a lucky mech to have the only being in the world who can stop you in the palm of your hand," she snickered, sitting opposite him. "You should be glad that I'm yours."

"I do not live a second without cherishing that fact," he spoke in a hushed whisper, trying to reach closer to her.

"Uh-uh, mech, you're not going to pull that trick on me," Nova breathed on his lips. "I'm not freeing you until my team wins."

"And if they don't?"

"I'm not freeing you until my team wins," she reiterated kinkily.

As if on cue, Mizuki entered the area, completely out of breath. She huffed for a few seconds before staring at the scene before her.

"So what happened here?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"Just waiting for you, Miz," Nova sighed. She looked around a bit. Clearly, something was missing. "Where are the others?"

"They died at the worst time possible," the small lady grumbled. "I had to walk all the way across the entire battle zone to get here."

"Count on mechs to change your life," Nova offered vaguely. "Hey, Optimus, watch us win."

Mizuki took that as the go ahead to attach the cylindrical beacon to the tree. It signaled the buzz that told everyone the game was over.

"You go ahead, Miz. I've got some business to handle here," the purple femme hummed deviously.

"Handcuffs… kinky," she responded, heading back to everyone else.

"I thought you would let me go when your team won," Optimus said, looking up at the object of his affection.

"You think I'm going to give this chance up? It's not every day I get to tie you all up and toy with you," she said saucily.

"I am assuming that I will not be released anytime soon."

"It _is_ time for your Christmas present."

* * *

><p><em>Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays! Also, Happy Weekend!<em>


	2. Update 1

**There are updates in this update, as of December 27th, 2011, and for the sake of sanity, they are outlined in bold.**

* * *

><p>Just an update chapter! No actual content, but I do think this is important for your time if you like to follow my stories. For those who are the skimming type, I will put a summary of all the important crud down below. Still… this is pretty pertinent. P.S. Not all chapters will be like this and this type of thing will only show up when it is <em>very<em> important.

First of all, I am sick. This will put a huge slowdown in my plans for stuff. The only good thing about this, and I use the term "good" loosely, is that my meds look like energon. But no, not just any kind of energon, no sir. It looks like the energon that would spill from the many harmfully fatal wounds that I would like to inflict on that disgusting turd known to us as Starscream.

Second of all, you all must be thinking, "Why Sam, shouldn't this chapter be first considering it would be a nice introduction to your update story?" Well, my dear readers, it is not the first chapter for a reason. A good friend of mine (even though we've never technically met and we live on the opposite sides of the world) had asked me an entire season and a half ago to cameo Johnny Depp in one of my stories. To me, that was a long time ago and I felt horrible for putting it off for so long (though not intentionally). I promised her that Johnny Depp would be in the very first chapter, and with the power of the internet, it was. I'm not the type to take a promise for granted. This brings me to my next point.

If you have any requests, no matter how outrageous or off-topic, I will put it in here. You can place OC's if you want or even pitch an entire story idea to me. My only rule is that it should have some of my stories' attributes in it. Credit will always be given where it is due. You all should know now that I don't put up requests because of my lack of imagination (trust me, that is far from it) but I do this to help out the writer in you. Maybe some of you aren't quite ready to start writing novels but want to put your artistic signature out there, that's when you'd come over here to Aunty 'Am.

Now you all should know by now that I plan on rewriting my previous stories. I won't be taking them down until the last possible moment so as not to upset the balance of things. Like I've said before, this story's main purpose is to keep you all informed of what's going on.

One more thing, the island that the 'Bots are currently inhabiting is smack-dab between California and Mexico. **And while we're on the subject of bending space, time, and geography, currently, for the sake of my amusement, the time the 'Bots are currently in is not parallel to ours. It's in the past, say 2000 or something, maybe a little later. Not an actual time but just know that it's in the past. On a similar note, if for some reason I mention something in the story that happens later in the future (2011 maybe) and it conflicts with the time setting, ignore it, I came here to entertain not to become some sort of time keeper.**

**All new chapters and thingies that take place here actually will affect the main story line. For instance, the 'Bots have met Johnny Depp recently, so if I write a future chapter concerning that, they will still know Johnny. Got it? Good.**

Finally, some errors and other things I must call your attention to. In my previous story, Rehab, I mentioned that Bonnie was 6 years old and that a total of 4 years passed by during that Chapter 25. I lied to you. A total of 2 years passed by and Bonnie was only 4 years old (pardon my math skills. I knew something was wrong but I couldn't tell until it was too late). Also, in the chapter prior to this, I understand that it cannot possibly snow in an island on the equator. But keep in mind that Santa made a cameo in that chapter so let's just assume that Primus sneezed and sent a snowstorm over their direction. That oneshot was written with pure childhood fantasies and Christmas miracles.

Summary Time!:

~I am sick.  
>~This chapter is second because of a super important promise that I didn't have the heart to break.<br>~I will take requests if you have any. OC's are allowed.  
>~I am rewriting previous stories but said stories won't be taken down until the absolute last minute.<br>~ The 'Bots are currently residing in a made-up, void-of-life island between California and Mexico.  
><strong>~They live in the past, not the current year (compared to the year 2011)<strong>  
><strong>~All future chapters in this story affect main story line.<strong>  
>~Bonnie is actually 4 years old according to the story <span>Rehab<span>, not 6, and a total of 2 years passed by in Chapter 25, not 4.  
>~Try not to take the chapter prior too seriously.<p> 


	3. Romantically Apocalyptic

_**Please read this, it's super important!**_

_So before you read this, you need to know that this is not Transformers. In fact, it doesn't even have a category yet. This is from a web comic called Romantically Apocalyptic. I plan on making this its own story but much, much later. This is just to make you all aware of this beautiful comic created by a man named Vitaly S. Alexiuss. Brilliant man._

_If you like my sense of humor, I suggest you go check out www. romanticallyapocalyptic . com / archive1. Start your adventure from the beginning, I promise that it is not a waste of your time. I would never tell you people about anything that I thought was boring or doing it just for publicity. NEVER. Also, you might not get what this is about until you've read most, if not all, the comics. When I first started reading them, I finished it all within an hour. It was that amazing._

_Please check it out!_

_The OC's in here are Medic and Scout. And for future reference..._

_Engineer's real name is Dr. Andrew Gromov_

_Sniper's real name is Charles Snippy_

_Pilot's real name is Christophorus Hatchenson_

_Captain's other name is Subject Seven._

_Those mentioned above are not OC's._

_I promise that the Transformers stuff will start in the next chapter.__**This is not a waste of your time and I don't own it but I've contributed a lot to it!**_

* * *

><p><em>Entry Log Sixteen,<em>

_Since the discovery of a ripped hole in time several months ago, I feel that my comrade and I have gone very far. Though we have not actually travelled through time, we have experimented relentlessly, determined to prevent the future which has been foretold._

_Some might call me crazy, stupid, or more recently, naïve, but I've ignored all of that because I believe so heavily in this project. It all started way back, when I was only an innocent child reading a fabulous internet comic. It was silly and serious with a completely new perspective on life that I've never known._

_One thing was unsettling, although. It rubbed me the wrong way. Somehow, I could feel that something was out of place._

_This comic was too real._

_Day by day, year by year, my world deteriorated, set to a goal of destroying itself. I started to plan this plan with help only from my comrade. She didn't believe my assumptions at first, but when a new company that sprang up as fast as Google came into view, she started becoming as paranoid as I did._

_The company, GOOD Directorate Inc., was the source of corruption in the future world I've only read about. I tried planning on how to survive the apocalypse that was sure to happen when I figured… I couldn't._

_Then I found the time-hole. It was a blurry, little thing. Like liquid when touched, a solid when used, and a gas in appearance. I've stored it in a small, cylindrical jar that fit snuggly in my palm._

_That's how this story started. I'm unsure of why it took me months to finally write down the beginning seeing that my first log was clearly the middle. Perhaps I know that with this next test, I may go mental and require these words as an aid to stabilize myself. As long as the information in this book is in the correct hands—that, of course, being mine—I have nothing to worry about._

_Though, if you are not me, dear person reading this, you must know that I am not a scientist, an engineer, or even a skilled mathematician. I am a doctor, a medical professional. My comrade is my scout and occasionally my body guard. The notes written in here are based on my perspective, not necessarily facts._

_Do with this what you will._

* * *

><p>A tall, lean woman, aged around her mid-twenties, reached on the top shelf of her office, stretching every sore muscle in her back. A clean, white lab-coat covered the simple, lavender scrub suit she donned.<p>

"Come on, arms, reach for the stupid box," she cooed in a light whisper, mumbling her words from strain.

"Hey! Need help?" a perky lady called as she burst into the room, her voice brightening the stony-silent office. Her blonde curls bounced with every step she took. A sudden clatter arose, filling whatever was left of the quiet.

"Good gracious, Scout, I told you to stop screaming at me when my office gets this quiet! You know it echoes in here," the brunette scolded, hand pressed firmly against her racing heart. She used the nickname given to her friend for it was only fitting to do so.

"Good gracious, Meddy, I told you to stop talking like you were born in the twentieth century!" she rebutted, mocking the doctor with an exaggerated accent.

"Hey, you know I don't have an accent, and you know that you're horrible at faking them," Medic chuckled, turning to grab the box that held her precious items.

"Oh, of course, darling, I know exactly what you mean," Scout drawled, obviously overdoing the English accent. She teased her medical ally that same way ever since the first time they crossed paths.

They were young, only in grade school when they met. Scout had never seen, nor even heard of, an Asian girl speaking with a fluent British accent. Over time, the accent washed away, mainly because Medic decided to assimilate herself with the appropriate accent that fitted her environment.

The room became still as Medic finally took hold of the light, metal box. A small cheer was uttered in victory before she turned to face Scout.

"What's wrong?" she asked, putting the box aside and walking towards the door in order to close it.

"Med, time's running out," Scout murmured with melancholy. Her bright, hazel eyes drifted to the window which made the white room even whiter. They were currently inside one of the Directorate cubes. Medic's window was the wall of the atrium that displayed an artificial sunlight, which was a complete contrast to what was truly outside.

"What do you mean? How can you tell? It's barely been a year since we found the… you know… We can't possibly be out of time," Medic sputtered, gripping her arms while watching as Scout leant against her dark-brown desk. She was on edge today, not in her true state. There were many factors to that, but Medic never let anyone help her.

"And so we're a year behind. You know that if we wait too long, this company is going to eventually break our chances of life." She spoke the truth. Everyone pretended that all was well in the world. That not a thing was out of place. When, in fact, the Good Directorate was destroying everything. Those two women could barely recall a day when the sun shone in its true glory, uncovered by the smog and pollution. Scout paused, glancing towards the anxious girl before continuing. "Medic, they let the new recruits start today."

"So? What does that have to do with us?" she asked in a breath, gnawing her bottom lip as she waited for the answer.

"As much as I hate working under the GOOD Directorate, I went to go down to see the fresh blood, maybe psyche them out a little. I met this guy who's got the brain the size of his ego. Trust me, that's huge," Scout started, unable to focus on either the window or her friend.

"Wait, you're not saying what I think you're saying, right?" Medic questioned, raising an eyebrow and wishing that Scout would make some eye-contact.

"His name is Andrew. Andrew Gromov." That's when Scout watched as her friend's eyes widened in horror and shock. The blonde could remember that moment clearly in her brain, as if replaying it from a video camera.

She was scared at the mentioning of his name. Scout wanted to run away and cry in a corner, knowing that once this man became important, once he became one of the many heads of this company, it would already be too late.

"No, no, no. Engie—Andrew!—I mean, um… Whatever! He had Annet and the Neural Network. The guy we know just started work. We still have time, right? He can't create something like that so soon, right?" Medic asked, pacing now as she thought of what to do.

"But how long will soon be? How long before he does pitch the 'Annet' idea? Med, we need to act now," Scout said sternly, grabbing hold of her comrade by the shoulders and starring her right in the soul.

"Y-you're right. Absolutely right. We-we have to finish furnishing our safe house, and then we have to get the right equipment for a nuclear winter. Are you sure we shouldn't just change the past? We could kill him, run away, start a new life, live as refugees. Let's run to Asia, we have a better chance at living in that wasteland than here," she babbled continuously, excreting nervousness and doubts. Medic was practically shaking with this overwhelming news, which was very unlike her.

Scout didn't appreciate the wimpy attitude Medic had acquired. She hated it when Meddy became weak because the doctor she knew was strong in more ways than one. So she slapped her.

"Damn it, Medic, get your act together! We only met Gromov a couple seconds ago and he's still in training pants! Now, be the professional I know you are and stop with this whole charade!" Scout snapped, hopping that it would wake up the drowsing reality hidden deep within the scrub-suit-wearing women. Medic was definitely having one of _those_ days, but Scout couldn't figure out what was affecting her this time.

"Ow, that hurt, you jerk," she growled back, rubbing the sore spot on her face.

"There, that's the medic I know," Scout smirked triumphantly.

"Shut up," Medic giggled, opening the door once more. "Now go out there and do your job before you get scolded again. You're not allowed in the medical wing unless you're dying."

"Whatever, just make sure to get the equipment, okay? I'm almost certain that we can leave once we have our supplies… Are you ready for that?" she asked, already halfway out the door but lingering inside for an answer.

"I'm ready to live," was the response. "Hey, wait, before you go…"

"Hmm?"

"Don't talk to Gromov. And forget about talking to Charles or anyone associated with him. Also, if for whatever reason you find yourself talking to Christophorus… just don't. They can't know we exist. In fact, try as much as possible to get Andrew to forget you. If we're going to travel through time, we're going to do it correctly," Medic warned.

"Meddy, darling, sweetheart, I'm not one of this company's top product researcher for just any reason. I find dirt faster than a vacuum. Not to mention, I can clean up just as well as one," she replied with a fake haughty tone.

"So stop talking to me and start focusing on become invisible. No achievements, no names on plaques, no hearing anyone repeat your name, nothing."

"Yes, mother," Scout called, voice trailing as she vanished down the halls. It was now her job to erase their names. Medic was right, if the survivors knew they came from the past, it would lead to questions, questions lead to conflict, conflict leads to prosecution, and prosecution in a post-apocalyptic world leads to death.

Her day usually consisted of wandering the halls aimlessly until she gets called up to research a competitor's products. Scout always felt like a spy when checking out the others, treading lightly and leaving no trace behind. That's why she felt so confident of this mission. She knew how to disappear, she knew how to leave the face of the Earth.

Scout started with the little things. She went to her section of the building, sneaking into her office. The expendable things were gone first. The name on her desk was thrown away without a second thought.

"Wait, that might seem suspicious," she muttered to herself, going back to the garbage can and picking it out. Scout turned to the wall behind her desk, looking at all the evidence of her life. The pictures of her and Medic, the certificates she's achieved, even a few data-bytes that meant nothing to her and yet revealed too much of her character.

One by one the frames went. Every digital rectangle that blinked with each turn of its gravity found refuge in the metal can. Scout remembered the time when almost no one wanted to buy digital frames. How everyone complained on how useless it was and that computers could easily lose all that precious information. But once the GOOD Directorate started promoting the stupid things, all of a sudden, _everyone_ just _had_ to have it.

Scout was so engrossed with her secret spy work that she didn't notice a tall, looming shadow block the fluorescent lights of the cubicles outside.

"Hey, Terri!" a young man called. His voice was demanding and calm though obviously irritated.

"Gah!" Scout yelped, pressing against the wall at the sound of the conflicting pitch. So that must be how Medic felt earlier, she thought to herself. "The hell, Steve? What gives you the right to burst in my office and scare the crap out of me?" she scolded, glaring at the cross man in front of her. "And what did I tell you about calling me by my last name? If our boss can respect that, why can't you?"

"Because I'm _your_ boss, and I need those damn files you promised me earlier," he grumbled, tapping a foot impatiently.

"I got it right here, boss," Scout grunted, gliding up to him and pushing a neat, Manila folder onto his chest.

"Watch the attitude, Terri," he warned under his breath. Steve let his eyes snap to the disgruntled state of Scout's office. The office to which he painstakingly tried to pry out of her hands. "Women, why do you need to redecorate everything," he muttered. "Maybe next time, you should focus more on your work than on renovating the place." With that, he left in a huff, procrastinating in doing the real work.

"Maybe next time you should blah, blah, blah," Scout mocked in a high-pitched voice, making a face in the direction he left. She turned back to continue destroying the evidence. "Huh, I could probably find a sturdy enough time capsule to put some of these in." she thought out loud, pondering on what type of capsule would withstand a nuclear explosion.

* * *

><p>Medic dropped in her seat, reclining behind her desk.<p>

She was tired. So very tired. And it wasn't just today, either. It was the entire week she was gradually losing energy.

The box in front of her mocked the pitiful state she was in. It said to her, "Come on, open me. You know you want to. You know you _have_ to. You can't live without me. You can't even go one day without my help. Face it, you'll die unless you open me. It's only what's best for you."

"No, shut up. I've gone without opening you before, I can do it again," she argued sluggishly with the inanimate box. The bright, fluorescent light blinded her as her lids came to a slow close. "I'm leaving soon, and that means I have to leave you. I have to… to live without you."

"We only want to help. Let us support you. We can make you stronger," her imagination sang in an eerie tone. Medic was weak without what was inside that box. But she would be weaker with it.

"Maybe… maybe just one last time. Be-before I go," she droned, forcing herself up to type in the complex code for the opening sequence.

Suddenly, a knock on her door startled the poor woman. The box fumbled in her sweaty hands and dropped to the ground. She went to pick it up but smashed her head into the desk, emitting a loud yelp.

"Miss, are you all right?" a male's voice came. He had a Russian accent and could easily be the same age as Medic, if not younger.

"Y-yeah, I'm-I'm okay," Medic strained, pulling herself up. The man rushed to her side, helping her sit in the chair. "Thanks, um…"

"Gromov, Andrew Gromov," he introduced, watching as the medical officer slipped out of her chair and back onto the floor.

Medic quickly reached for the mask in her pocket and habitually slipped it on. She felt two arms pick her up and place her back onto the comfortable warmth of her chair.

"Do you need to see someone about this?" Andrew asked her. He reeled back a little when he saw the white cloth covering her face.

"N-no, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I just, um, just had a stressful morning," Medic lied. "So, what do you need from me, Andrew?"

"They said to get a physical check from room two-oh-three. Apparently, it's company policy," he scoffed, looking around the room.

"Oh yeah, they do that every year," Medic responded, trying to disguise her voice a little. She still felt tired and weak. Hopefully she could make it through this one exam. Then she could reward herself with a little present from her beloved box. "Take-take a seat on the… the, um… the… thingy," she yawned, gesturing to the examination table.

"Oh, all-all right," Andrew responded hesitantly. "Maybe I should come back at a different time," he spoke, witnessing how uncoordinated this doctor was.

"No, no. I'm the best around here. I'll get this done in a jiff," she responded, grabbing a pen and sticking her hand out for the papers he needed filled out.

"Oh, I hope so," he muttered. It was apparent that his examiner was completely out of it when she didn't even bother to beg his pardon when what he mumbled was actually pretty loud.

Medic couldn't take it. She needed her crutch, her helping hand, the little drugs in her box. Her body wouldn't let her function anymore, it was protesting against every move. The dark bags under her eyes threatened to sting her pupils with the relatively fresh air. Her legs that she trusted with her life began to wobble as she neared her patient. Medic turned her head towards the young man eyeing her intensely.

"Andrew," she whispered, losing all the feeling in her limbs. "Help me."

* * *

><p><em>What do you think? Please, please, PLEASE, check this out, it's seriously the best thing ever. I wouldn't put this in here if it wasn't. Who knows? Maybe if you like their Facebook page and stalk it as much as I do, you might find me on Facebook. I have made many fanarts for them and created a song (I am in the process of creating another song) and I also managed to become Snippy's mother somehow. Pretty cool. Check it out!<em>

_**~Don't be a stranger ;D**  
><em>


	4. Update 2

All righty, another update chapter.

If you guys don't know already, I have a deviantart that I fill with TF art when I'm not busy (which is rarely). Check it if you wanna, samap. deviantart. com.

Now this obviously can't be an update chapter without an update. I finished the entire first rewrite! Yay! Here are the things I changed about it. (Also check the first update chapter because there might be some important news you haven't discovered yet).

~The first scene takes place on a ship, not Cybertron.  
>~I got rid of the whole "Second-Born Glitch" thing.<br>~Prelouge is a little different.  
>~The energon picking scene is a little different.<br>~She has a data-pad with her.  
>~She hitchhikes on a boat instead of making one.<br>~I made it so she doesn't have gloves anymore.

All the scenes after her receiving her gloves are all tweaked so I suggest just rereading everything. It's like a completely new story anyway. Don't be afraid to re-review those new chapters because I still need feedback! Thanks for listening, guys!

_**~Don't be a stranger ;D**_


	5. How I Met Your Brother

_Yay, Transformers! The update (which you all **must** read, please) will be the next chapter. _

_This oneshot is about how Nova met Megatron. Yes, his name was Megatronus before it was Megatron and think of this as so far back in the war that it hasn't even started yet. Like I've said, I'm not a miracle time keeper so if it sounds weird, you can tell me and I'll try to fix it._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Nova!" a young Bumblebee called, treading lightly on the metallic ground that belonged to the blooming world of Cybertron. "The head instructor is looking for you. She said she needed a few errands done," he panted, yelling as he was still quite a distance from his older sister.<p>

"Can it, Bee. I don't want the entire learning facility to know that I've become an errand 'Bot," she scolded in a small whisper, tugging at his light-weight chassis. "Just you wait, Honeybee. I'm going to get a job that doesn't include grunt work or being someone's optic-candy. Did you see how that one instructor was looking at me? I wanted to purge my tanks."

"Ugh, let's not talk about him," Bee shuddered. "But hey, count your blessings. At least you're not doing the actual learning in this place. You're lucky that you can get out of here."

"I may be free of learning, but I'm still trapped. Even if I had a chance to get whatever job I wanted, I wouldn't know where to begin," Nova sighed.

"I'm sure it'll get better for you. For now, though, you need to see Silverplate. With her temper, you may get fired," the small, yellow mech warned, walking off to get to his next class.

"Maybe that's what I need," the purple one mumbled to herself, heading towards the dean's office. Nova had graduated out of that horrible death trap a little over two vorns ago. She thought she was free of the crowded halls and peer pressure only to be sucked back in once she needed a job.

Now she was the errand femme, running the odd jobs that no one wanted to do.

"Nova!" the shrill voice of an elderly femme snapped, making the younger 'Bot cringe from its pitch. "I have been waiting for your arrival for two breems! Where have you been?"

"Apologies, madam. I was coming from the physical educator's class. He needed me to carry some of the equipment," Nova responded with her helm hung, trying so hard not to scream at this crotchety, old grump.

"Regardless! You should have been here when I called you! I had to actually talk to a student to get you here," Silverplate sneered, scrunching her face plates at the word "Student."

"How did _you_ become a dean?" Nova muttered under her breath, meaning to keep that to herself.

"What was that?" the bright-silver 'Bot asked, dropping her tone to a deadly level.

"It was noth—"

"No matter!" she interrupted. "I need you to travel to Tyger Pax and retrieve a… _package_… for me. You have five joors starting now," Silverplate stated simply, sitting back in her desk as if she merely asked for a cup of energon.

Nova's optics both visibly and audibly widened once the information had been relayed to her.

"Tyger Pax? You can't be serious!" she burst out with. "It would take me at least an orn to go there and come back without killing myself!"

"Excuse me, Nova," the superior hissed, glaring daggers at the taller yet very inferior femme in front of her. "I did not ask of your physical inabilities, I asked you—no—I _commanded_ you to fetch my package. Now go before I do something drastic."

"Yes, ma'am," Nova grunted through her dentals, grinding them ever so slightly. The purple femme turned sharply and exited the room, stomping her way out.

How the frag was she supposed to go to Tyger Pax and back within five joors? That was practically on the opposite side of the state! Maybe if she could find a friendly flier. Ever since the whole Decepticon threat gradually rising, all the fliers were changing their names to seekers and remaining exclusively Decepticon.

Most thought that all that news was a bunch of junk. Nova was one of those 'Bots who didn't buy into conspiracy. Though when a select group of officials began forming a team called Autobots, she was getting a little worried. Nevertheless, she shrugged off the issue and decided to remain neutral.

Bumblebee, on the other hand, was showing a few tell-tale signs of wanting to join the military. That was enough to scare Nova from her armor.

The femme shifted to the large yet sleek automobile she was and put her engine to the test. She went as fast as physically possible while trying to avoid attention from authorities. If she was going to make it to Tyger Pax and back within five joors, frag it, she was going to do it as cool as she possibly could.

About a joor and a half passed by when her systems began to tire out. The bad news was… she was barely half way there! Nova stood up, looking for a place to rest while she thought of a new strategy.

A small rest stop was waiting off the road, looking like the best place to be right now. No matter how tiny, dirty, or dilapidated that place was, Nova didn't care as she glided in, dropping onto the seat closest to the bar.

"I need a cup and make it fizzy," she grumbled unintentionally, letting her helm hang as the server 'Bot only stared at her with a sudden hatred. He really wasn't in the mood to take orders from a rude femme but he needed to get paid somehow.

Nova sank on her axles, hissing loudly as her systems struggled to hold together. A young mech spotted this overworked femme and decided to observe her a little. She had a strong attitude and got what she wanted, sparing no feelings. No doubt she had some sort of history. He could use someone like her for his image.

He was very new to his job and he needed as much help as he could get his servos on if he were to be on the good graces of his superiors. They believed greatly on the do-or-die method.

The silver mech watched as Nova yanked the energon from the server's grip, downing it roughly yet very elegantly at the same time. It was like the bloodlust he's seen on many femmes' optics. But for some reason, to him, this femme didn't feel like the type to kill on command, nor would she derive pleasure from it. Still, she intrigued him.

After watching this Cybertronian order another glass of energon, he walked over and sat on the stool next to her.

"What's a 'Bot like you doing in this shady hole? Rough day, I imagine?" he rasped, a devilish smile appearing naturally on his face.

"Must you know of my life?" she returned snappily, taking more time to drink this cup of energon. What did this mech want? Couldn't he see she had no time for idle chatter?

"Your life fascinates me in ways I cannot explain. You are troubled and I can sense it," he changed the topic to, trying to loosen this one up.

"My slave-driver of a boss ordered me to go to Tyger Pax and back within a matter of five joors. As of now, I only have three and a half joors left," Nova confided, taking out the appropriate amount of credits to give to the mech who served her.

"You'll never make it in time," the silver mech commented before she had a chance to completely leave him. "I might be able to help."

This stopped Nova in her tracks. Any help would be just what she needed at this time. She couldn't afford to lose this job, no matter how much she hated it.

"I'm listening," was all she said before the mech smirked to himself, standing behind this femme.

"You could say I know a shortcut," he offered slyly. "That is, if you are willing to take the challenge, femme."

"I'm game, mech. Bring it on," she whispered towards him, unknowingly adopting the same grin he had.

"Follow me." With that, the tall—taller than Nova even—mech strode out and shifted sharply down to his bipedal mode, waiting for the femme to do the same. "One rule about going through this path… Don't stop until we get there."

"No stopping, good enough for me," she replied, speeding off the tail of this mech. He curved dangerously around illegal areas, driving where none were allowed to drive. He even pulled a couple maneuvers that took a lot of skill to replicate. All in all, the authorities had their work cut out for them.

Once the heavy sounds of sirens went off, all Nova could think was, _How the frag did I get myself into this? He's going to get me killed! Or at the very least, sent to jail!_

"Don't you dare stop, femme," he called out, catching the slight hesitation she held.

Nova questioned the reason as to why she listened to this stranger. His words were crazy, dumb, reckless… but for whatever reason, she loved it. That thought was now plunged deeply into her processor, and she sped up, hovering adjacent to the large vehicle.

The femme followed her friend's lead, turning as he did, speeding as he did. It went on for about an entire joor. That's when he spoke of something very dangerous and risky to her.

"The police are still relentlessly following us. I have a plan, but I need you to do one thing for me," he started mischievously.

"What is it?" Nova answered in a whimper, not really wanting it to come out like that. But the fact that the bridge they were heading for was out, she didn't have much of a choice.

"Don't stop. In fact, speed up. You can trust me," he said firmly, waiting for her to go ahead.

"What? Are you crazy?" she almost screeched, swerving minutely from the temporary anger.

"Please trust me, it's the only way to get out of here alive."

"By dying?" she hollered once more.

"Just do it, femme!" he growled, watching her speed up and then promptly following her. "Brace yourself!" Once the moment of truth came, they both jumped the gap in the bridge… falling quickly to their demise.

At least the authorities had some sense to stop before tipping over the construction area. As the two rebels let the wind try to save them, the mech shifted, willing Nova to do the same.

"What's your plan now, genius?" Nova yelled through the rushing air.

"Greet an old friend!" In that instant, they were both caught by a pair of strong servos. A massive Cybertronian hauled them onto a rather gigantic ship. Sparing but a second, the hatch closed and they were off to their destination.

"Where the frag did all this come from?" Nova panted, looking around frantically.

"I am just helping you get to your place," the new mech said, holding out an arm to balance Nova on her feet. "We will arrive in a short amount of time. I suggest you wait over there for the time being."

"All-all right," Nova agreed breathily, still in a small daze.

"Megatronus, what are you doing? It is apparent that this femme is not a Decepticon, why did you bring her here?" the large mech asked him in a much harsher tone than what he used with Nova.

"To show you fools how to recruit and who to recruit," Megatronus snarled under his breath. "We are reviving a revolution in a place that many are wary. Trust must first be earned… then we dominate."

"You better know what you are doing. The council will not approve if anything goes wrong," the unknown mech grumbled back. At least the femme was purple and silver, the color of the Decepticon insignia.

"Leave me, fool." Megatronus was almost unnerved by the way this mech was addressing him. It was a miracle that Megatronus was still alive after his blunders and constant defiance of the Decepticon cause. He thought that if he recruited for quality instead of quantity, the council would overlook his snafus and let him live.

How did he even get to that position?

"I've made too many idiotic mistakes," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Nova asked, walking up to him.

"Erm, nothing. Just speaking my thoughts," he covered quickly. They stayed in a moment of silence, gathering thoughts and laying them out into a perfect query.

"So, why are you helping me?" Nova asked out of the blue, finding the fact that she didn't know the answer was bothering her.

"Can't a mech lend a hand to a fellow Cybertronian in need?" he returned smoothly, veering as far away from the truth as possible.

"That's how murders always start out," Nova countered with a sly smirk, knowing that there was something being hidden from her.

"Trust me, femme, I have no intention of murdering you. In fact, it is the very opposite."

The gruff mech entered their conversation, providing Megatronus the lucky break he needed.

"We're reaching our destination in approximately five kliks. Are we landing or are you dropping down?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Nova responded incredulously, taken aback by the mere mention of falling from their position in the sky. She's fallen once, she'd not like to do it again.

"So the decision is mutual, then?" Megatronus chuckled briefly, earning a nod from the purple femme. "Then we're dropping."

"What?" Nova coughed breathlessly, making the word sound like a wheeze more than anything else.

"You are to follow me, remember, and never stop," he reminded, strapping on a parachute. "Now, would you like to share or do you want your own parachute?" he asked, almost taunting her.

"Hmph," Nova snipped, nose tipped in the air. "I can take care of myself," she spat arrogantly, not wanting to seem below this mech. The femme grabbed a parachute, letting it attach to her back so she could control its systems internally.

He watched with a subtle smile as she approached the door, preparing to fly out. Megatronus liked the energy she had. It made life a little more refreshing for a mech in his situation. Maybe recruiting her wouldn't be as tedious as he thought.

"Are you aware of what to do?" he asked her as the hatch began to creak open.

"I may not have jumped out of a jet before, but I know how to work a 'chute," Nova relayed cockily, shifting the weight between her feet.

"I never caught your name, femme," he said, beginning to yell now that the air was interfering with their audios.

"Nova. What do you need it for?" she asked, throat paining slightly as she pressed to be louder.

"Just in case you die, I'm going to need to identify you somehow." With that, Nova smirked and flew gracefully out of the hatch, diving into the air as if she's practiced her form over and over again. On the inside, she was terrified, shaking until every little bolt became loose, but her ego was too big at this point to let that spill onto her outer features.

So you want to play games, he thought to himself as he witnessed her teasing him in an unnoticeable manner as they fell. Oh yeah, he was going to like this femme.

Connecting to a frequency installed into the parachute, Nova laughed as Megatronus became level with her. "I thought you let me jump out by myself. It took you a while to come out here," she taunted, cursing the split second her voice quivered in fear.

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Nova. We're still far from the ground. Many things can happen within that time."

"I never got your name."

"Megatronus. What use do you have of that?" he asked, keeping tabs on both this spunky femme and the impending, metal doom reaching out for them.

"In case you die… because you're going to land into those cluster of buildings if you don't move," Nova warned, executing a near impossible maneuver in order to push Megatronus into a clearing where they both opened the parachutes.

Of course, since fate can't help but be ironic, Nova was pushed off course in her attempts to save her new friend.

"Slag, slag, slag," she muttered, unknowingly projecting it into the microphone for Megatronus to hear. His optics darted to her position, seeing how she was aiming directly for an electrified fence.

For whatever reason that compelled him, Megatronus felt a pang of fright. True fright that he hasn't felt in a long time. Something in the back of his processor told him that he wanted—needed—this femme to stay alive. With last minute thinking, he cut the wires attaching him to his parachute and dove for the femme, latching tightly onto her legs.

The extra weight immediately dragged her down and they both crashed on top of each other, tangling themselves mere millimeters from the electrified boundaries.

"What the Pit was that for?" Nova asked with a smile, feeling her spark racing from the pure adrenaline. Subconsciously, she held this mech tighter in her arms, pressing dangerously close to his spark chamber. There was something about him that felt right and yet so wrong at the same time.

"I just found out that I forgot your name. I couldn't possibly let you die without that information," he answered cheekily, feeling the way her spark beat intensely against his.

He loved it.

Nova accepted the remark, albeit she knew that he couldn't have possibly forgotten her name. After what felt like a lifetime of just meeting his enticingly red optics with her twisted purple ones, she stood, walking away without a second look. She wouldn't dare look back. Nova's systems were already overheated from the past events, a glance towards this—admittedly cute—mech would send her cooling fans off the deep end.

"So, where to, next?" he inquired, watching the way that the light cast a beautiful glow around her shadowed body. It was like a picture straight from a professional's portfolio, perfect.

"Postal office, I have to get a special 'package' for my boss," Nova sneered, walking towards the destined area.

"Pause for a minute, femme," Megatronus commanded, taking in this new information. "You risked your life, morality, and innocence just to fetch your superior their mail? Are you this desperate, Nova?"

"I need the money. I'm one of _those _Cybertronians who support their entire family," she explained sarcastically.

"Surely you cannot be the only one who is able bodied in your household," he pointed out.

"My brother is still in school but he's doing all this crazy talking about joining the army right after he finishes and our parents are never home. I'd tell you what they do, but you might lose all respect you have for me if I did," she informed as she walked determined to cool off completely before even peeking at this mech.

"I would do no such thing," he promised, jogging slightly as Nova strode gracefully away, looking for the postal office. Despite his height advantage, she was still much faster than he was.

"Um, I'd rather not," she laughed meekly, turning the appropriate corners and crossing the according streets.

"Nova," Megatronus stated firmly, grabbing the femme around the waist and holding her close, "you can trust me," he whispered huskily in her audio if only to tease the young femme.

If it weren't for the basic laws of physics, Nova would have melted right in that spot, whimpering as he dragged his claws off of her.

"Do you do that to all the femmes you've only recently met?" she asked, trying to mask her embarrassment. Whatever it was he did, she wanted him to do again. Nova had never been in a serious relationship before, but even with mechs she'd flirt with, she had never felt this good around them.

"Only the ones that mean something to me," he answered, walking ahead this time as the postal office was only a few steps away. What the frag was he doing? True to Nova's words, he had only met her a few breems ago. Megatronus had often played a love-struck mech in order to get femmes to do his bidding but this… this wasn't a game. It was a feeling so foreign and different to him that his securities were acting up.

Once they flooded into the hectic yet painfully clean building, the task at hand came to the front of Nova's mind. Her job was on the line and she wasn't about to let her little brother down by losing their main source of income.

As she searched for the package, unaware of Megatronus' complex thoughts, he studied her. That foreign sensation he was wary of became warm and comforting. It seemed to radiate off of this femme. No, not just the femme, but her happiness. An old program that he forgot he ever had began to start up. It was something built into every Cybertronian in existence, a protection guard.

At that moment, he knew he _had_ to keep this femme safe from harm's way at any costs, but how? What if when he asks her to join the Decepticons she says no? He wouldn't force her to join, not now. But Megatronus desperately wanted to be closer with Nova.

"Hey!" Nova hollered, reawakening the silver mech from his pondering and possibly half the city. Her musical words danced in a pounding echo around the building, making every inhabitant at least acknowledge her with a slight jerk of the helm.

"What's wrong?" Megatronus growled, feeling twisted and dark when Nova seemed to be in distress. He cursed the day that Primus decided to create Cybertronians with this program. Apparently, once a mech finds his destined mate, it works at the speed of light.

"Some scrawny, little slagger took off with my package," Nova explained, dragging him as she flew over all the other 'Bots, remaining as agile as a snake ready to attack.

"What does he look like?"

"Small, kinda brown, very rusty. He looked pretty beaten down by the way his armor was hanging off," Nova recalled, remembering his stout chassis. "Frag, he's fast."

"Come here," Megatronus muttered quickly, yanking her around a corner, peeking out the other direction and spying the exact mech she described.

The mech was panicking, twisting around crazily to see if he was still being followed. When no sign of a purple femme appeared, he ducked behind a family, trying to sneak his way out. When he was randomly plucked into the air, several feet above his own height, he let out a feminine scream.

"Please don't hurt me, I meant no harm!" he let out in a polished accent, cringing away from the intimidating 'Con.

"Then why'd you steal my cargo, mech?" Nova spat, stepping sharply towards this evildoer.

"Please, please, let me go," he whimpered, handing the neat, brown package over. "I-I just needed to find energon for my family."

"Energon? Don't they supply that at the homeless shelter?" Nova asked, slowly simmering down.

"Haven't you heard? They shut it down because of some big political statement. A whole bunch of 'Bots are wandering aimlessly in the streets, hoping for help," he informed, not letting up his panicky defense mode.

"What? That's horrible," Nova sighed to herself. She looked down at the package. Its markings read "Imported Energon; Caution: Fragile." "That glitch… fragging order imported energon," she mumbled.

"What are you doing?" Megatronus asked Nova as she seemed to trap herself into a solitary world.

"Screwing the system," she resolved, handing the box towards the needy mech. "I will lose my job for doing this, but I'm giving you this with only one order."

"Anything! Please, I'll do anything!" the mech begged without dignity.

"You and your family head down to the city off the edge of the borders and there'll be a job waiting for you there. Better get it quick because it opens up the second that evil monster fires me." Nova connected with his wrist port, giving him the data he needed.

"Bless you, miss. May Primus smile on your soul," he thanked, squirming out of Megatronus' grip and scrambling to his family. Who knew prayers could be answered so quickly?

"Why did you do that?" Megatronus asked, gliding alongside Nova as they headed for the exit. There was no use in speed now that Nova's fate was inevitable.

"He deserved it more than I did. It's easier for me to get a job than him. Then again, just because it's easier doesn't mean it will be a stroll down the street. Frag, Bee's gonna be so devastated," Nova muttered, cycling air through her vents.

That feeling came back to Megatronus. He was willing to drive twice around the planet nonstop just to see Nova happy again.

"No, I can't do this," he said randomly, stopping in his tracks.

"Do what?" she asked, turning to face him.

"I'm… I'm a Decepticon," he said strongly, ready for rejection. It didn't even matter if that was going to happen, he needed her safe.

"I know… What about it?" Nova said calmly as if absolutely nothing had just happened.

"You… what? How did you know?"

"Megatronus, you didn't pick up an idiot. I knew the second I saw your face. Red optics, menacing armor, that symbol, it's pretty obvious," Nova chuckled, walking on again before pausing. "Are you coming?"

He took tentative steps towards her before going full pace. What was her problem? She knew what he was but she didn't back down. Did she want to join his cause?

"Why aren't you afraid? Don't you fear your life?" he asked, almost wishing she did.

"Of course I am, but I feel like I can trust you." But there was so much more. She felt like she could and would willingly lay her life out for this mech. Well… almost.

"Then you should know that my first intentions were to recruit you into Decepticon ranks but… not anymore," he finally decided.

"What?" Now it was Nova's turn to be confused.

"I-I can't let you join us. I know what will happen to you if you do and… I won't let that happen. You don't know how much I wish I could have changed my past. This entire feud caused me to turn on my only family. I wouldn't do that to you." He looked at her, into her spark, talking to the very core of her being.

"Nova, you have a choice of being happy or not. The answer is quite obvious and I suggest you get as far away from me as you can."

"No," she finally said, words kissing reality gently. "It's not obvious. I'm… Megatronus, I'm happy with you."

A devilish smile spread across his face plates, complementing his features. The irony of their situation was almost comical if not for the threat of life.

"I know."

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><p><em><strong>~Don't be a stranger ;D<strong>_


	6. Update 3

Okay, update number three. Not much in this one.

So I finished going over Behind the Story and I'm most likely never going to edit it again. If there is a mistake in there then oh well. This is when I shall suggest to you to read it if you haven't already or if you really wanna. I added just a couple words to make the story a tad smoother but nothing drastic so if you've read it twice, you don't really need to read it again (unless it tickles your fancy).

Now if you're reading this then you obviously know what Romantically Apocalyptic is (at least what the title is anyway) and the fact that I want to start a story for it. Well, here's the dilemma and since I'm writing for you guys, I'd like to know what you think.

**Please read this because it's super important-face!**

All right, so you guys have two options. One, I will write my RomAc story and continue rewriting my other stories. Or, two, I will write my RomAc story and also write my DotM story (but my rewrites will be painfully slow thus creating a slight paradox when new readers see the uneveness between stories). **Yes, I know I've already published the RomAc story but I only did that because I wanted to be one of the first people who write about it eheheh.** Regardless, I probably won't update it much depending on the result of this.

Think about this! My Transformers stories that I haven't rewritten are very bad and kind of off compared to Behind the Story. Then again, I have a beautiful idea for DotM that I'm actually writing right now but I don't want to torture you guys with updates every other month. I'm writing my RomAc story no matter what but don't expect it to be updated as quickly as usual because whatever the second option is (rewrites or new story) will have top priority.

This is very important so please think carefully and I really need everyone who really reads my stories and feels almost like part of my fanfic family. Especially those of you who stuck with me from the very beginning. This is a new category of fanfic so it might feel weird (I know that I feel weird when I see others branching out with a completely different category, not that I'm saying it's bad). Can you veterans believe that you've been with me for almost an entire year?

Please think about it. And don't just say, "Oh, someone else is bound to review my opinion so I don't have to review at all." Please, please, please take the time to tell me what _you _think. I value all of your opinions so much. You guys could even suggest other things instead of those two options I gave you. Who knows?

Thanks again.

_**~Don't be a stranger ;D**_


	7. Dark of the Moon

_So, people, be excited! This is a preview to DotM! Well… almost. You see, this was supposed to be the first chapter, but I thought of going in a slightly different direction. But this particular chapter still applies to the story arc, think of it as a behind the scenes type of deal. _

_And we're all going to love it because… two words. Starscream. Torture._

_The update after this chapter is painfully important (I know I say that a lot, but I'm not kidding this time. This update affects everyone regardless of whatever)._

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><p>It was a scorching, painful day. The sun glistened off the African plains, making the illusion of wavering land. Water was scarce yet the inhabitants found no need for such simplicities. At least, not now. It was barren, depressing, lifeless. Not even the birth of an animal could express joy in this place. To some, a new life meant competition. To others, prey.<p>

There are no resting moments in this forsaken land, only fury and violence. Not a single living organism could remember a day that was anything short of torturous. Especially the current beings that were plotting maliciousness in that area.

The Decepticons.

Only one evildoer could be deemed with the sweet mercy of peace, yet even that was a relative statement. Starscream lay there, shackled to a thick tree. Pieces of his wings were missing, his leg was distorted beyond compare, armor was dripping off slowly like a melting bar of chocolate placed into the very depths of Hell. His only companions were the soulless lions that clawed relentlessly at him for disturbing their pride.

Everyday was the same, monotonous routine for these miracles of nature. Eat, sleep, protect, and kill. Starscream was the horrifying protrusion in their schedule, and these magnificent creatures did everything in their will to eradicate him.

The irony of it all was that Starscream was the one with the most content compared to the rest of the slaving 'Cons. At least the beasts that have learned to despise him give the maniacal mech a break every now and then. He had learned to live with the ever growing throb of pain that circulated his system constantly. It was easier now more than ever to disregard the malevolent stab of gut-wrenching torture that came with each move he made, no matter the size.

Starscream had a lot of time to reflect on the events that have passed. He'd been there for weeks, maybe even months. The despicable 'Con stopped keeping track after one of the female lions tore his foot off. Little pieces of him were spread within close proximity of the tree that harbored him as a prisoner.

Within the slow-paced time he had been forced to live out on that tree, Starscream pondered. He came to accept that he really did deserve this punishment, though that will never be admitted. In fact, if he were Megatron, he'd probably give himself the exact same punishment. Why? Because Starscream killed the love of his life.

The putrid, metal turd smiled sadistically at that fact. He, the second in command, a mere scientist before the war, _killed_ the love of their leader's life. Him and only him. Starscream laughed at how easily Megatron could be broken. He laughed at the attempt of reprimanding him. He laughed at how _weak_ that mech was.

If only there were more power in Starscream's body, he would've walked straight up to Megatron and spat at his feet. It disgusted him at his leader's choice of femme. This one, decrepit, glitched, half-blooded femme was what Megatron saw as a goddess? And they wonder why the war hasn't been victoriously won in their favor.

No matter, Starscream had Megatron right where he wanted him. Exposed, abused… lost. Megatron, even though he was the older brother of a Prime, was no match for Starscream. His evil and bloodlust compared not to Starscream's. The currently feeble mech that laid stationary on the ground derived mountains worth of pleasure from seeing even the smallest of insects die barbarically at his hand. He craved for the sound of animals' bones crunching, signifying instant death. But more importantly, he indulged at the taste of a lifeless mech's energon splattered onto his lip plates. It was Starscream's sick fetish.

"You're still alive," came the disappointed huff of a disgusted mech. Clearly, this 'Con had wished Starscream would just rot to death. Unfortunately, not everyone can be that lucky.

"You forget, Barricade," he rasped in a barely audible whisper, "not even the deepest layer in Pit would want me." Starscream breathed deeply in order to keep up with his words. "And it is obvious that I am not blessed enough to reside in the Well of All Sparks. So, by default, I am immortal," he chuckled limply. The mech dared not to agitate his already pained systems.

Barricade seethed pure hatred at the second in command. A snarl set firmly into place on his plates etched the very thoughts in his mind. There was so much that he was thinking about towards Starscream. Namely ways to torture the offending outsider. Starscream would pay for what he had done, not even this torture would excuse the debt.

"Was there a reason you came here?" he wheezed, watching as Barricade growled at him. "Or did you come here to glare until one of us died. At the rate I'm going, I wouldn't waste your time. You would die first." Even in his dilapidated state, Screamer still had jokes.

"I was sent here to fetch you," snarled Barricade, clenching his fists as he tried to remain civil. There was a lot of stress that was poured on top of him. Ever since Starscream's "Absence" he was bumped up to temporary third in command. Soundwave was second in command. Megatron had not stopped rambling on and on with horrifyingly serious threats towards both his subordinates and the Autobots.

They've been painstakingly planning an attack, though the whole plot itself was still in the early stages. It could take years before they were prepared. The Decepticon army was weak and still suffered greatly from the demise of The Fallen. He had been their inspiration. Now that the original 'Con vanished, the others were lost on what to do other than recuperate.

"And what, pray tell, does our oh-so-glorious leader want with me?" he questioned sarcastically.

"He feels that you've served your punishment. I shall escort you to Scalpel to get your repairs done and you'll be back in your old position," Barricade stated emotionlessly. Why Megatron wanted Starscream back in place, he'd never know.

"My _old_ position? I have not been demoted?" Starscream questioned, intrigued now.

"Call it a compassionate move on our leader's part. Even I do not know the true intentions of his, if any," he sighed, breaking the chains off of Starscream's arms and letting him fall to the ground. The black and white 'Con chuckled evilly at the ripping scream that erupted from the seeker's throat. "Maybe I should just drag you there," he snickered, picking the writhing mech up by the scruff bar, watching him wince in pain. "Just for you, I will travel the long way."

Starscream would've snapped back if he wasn't experiencing the pure fire surging through his veins. He could've sworn that a small blade was inside his energon stream, cutting into the cables every time his spark circulated the flow.

Barricade began a slow trek back to their base, laughing internally at every one of his passenger's howls. He purposefully traveled over large rocks that would either scrape some of Starscream's armor off or lodge itself into his external workings.

Starscream was dropped off at Scalpel's work area, quite literally. Screamer had to bite back the yelp that dared to prod his lip plates open. Knowing the type of mech Scalpel was, he could tell that he'd leave the medical area in more pain than he started off having. His mind flashed minutely to the idea of asking Barricade to stay and refrain from leaving him alone with the crazy mech's barbaric way of "Fixing" things.

Sadly, Starscream had no such luck. Barricade left the second his cargo was in the correct place. He traveled to the isolated area of the plains, the only place where he was truly alone. There was so much he did in that area. Thinking, planning, reflecting, but most importantly, relaying. Barricade was still an active double agent. It was routine for him to inform the Autobots on the Decepticons' doings every once a week or so. They currently knew that Megatron was plotting something and they knew Starscream had been severely punished. It was an odd feeling to constantly betray those who were once his allies, but he knew what he was doing.

The sun had already set and it was nearly pitch black. If it weren't for the bright beams the moon gave off, not a thing in that area would be seen. Barricade stared up at the endless sea of stars, delighting in its calm lull. This happened almost every night. He'd gaze fondly at the specks that held promise and converse with them. Or, more specifically, with just one.

"I hope you are happy," he started with a small smile gracing his face. "Starscream is in even more pain than ever. I know you are more of a pacifist, but you have to admit, you wished he would just curl up and die. I do." Barricade cycled his vents, focusing on absolutely nothing before snapping his optics towards the sky once more.

"I wonder if you can truly hear me from up there. I come down here alone almost religiously to talk to you, yet I never get an answer. Please, just tell me if you're listening." He waited. Nothing happened. "Is this some sort of test? Or can you really just not send me a signal? I do not want to feel like a fool for talking to a bunch of random stars when I'd rather be talking to just one."

An hour or so had passed by with Barricade sitting calmly in his place, head still turned to the galaxy above. Just knowing the simple fact that she could at least see him was comfort enough in this horrible world.

"Am I doing the right thing? I've done what you've told me, I practice it every day. I'm still doing what you've asked me, but I can't help but have the feeling that I'm doing something wrong." A wry laugh escaped him unintentionally as his helm dropped to the ground. "I never knew, nor did I think that I'd ever admit, but I still need you. I don't know what to fight for now that you're gone. I can't even tell right from wrong anymore." His face plates settled to a neutral state, thinking hard on his life. "I feel so weak."

He glanced once more at the sky, not wanting to feel betrayed by the lack of response from it. He has only gotten one reply from the stars and even that could have been a fluke. What if she was never there?

"Goodnight, Nova."

Barricade picked himself up, dragging his feet as he tried to make it back to base. She just _had_ to be there, it was promised.

Before another step was made, a small, super heated projectile slammed into the back of Barricade's helm. It had enough force to knock him over despite its miniature size. Immediately adopting a scowl on his face, he quickly turned to address the offender. To his surprise, no one was there. Scanning the area a little, absolutely nothing was detected.

He bent to pick up the rock. By his scans, it came from a meteor that didn't completely dissipate as it entered Earth's atmosphere. Judging by its trajectory, it came from the exact direction he was looking at when talking to his lost friend.

Barricade chuckled at this. He could hear her words now. "Stop moping, you big idiot and get your act together!" she would've said.

"Thanks for the friendly reminder," he muttered under his breath, turning and walking away. "Crazy femme."

On the complete opposite side of Barricade's position was Megatron, seething pure fury. He wasn't quite over with his femme's death. The last thing she'd ever remember of him was backstabbing and betrayal. Of all the ways she could've left him and she chose this? Apparently, Megatron wasn't the only despicable person in the world.

He just couldn't help it. The leader was blinded greatly by rage. Almost every night, he'd come out to the more habituated parts of the plains and release some of that anger. Watching families of animals sleep or stalk by, he'd shoot the females. Only the females.

If he couldn't have his femme, no one could. Everyone needed to feel his pain, everyone needed to burn inside like he did. Megatron didn't want compassion, he didn't want sympathy, if anything, he needed empathy. The only way to get that was for everyone to go what he went through. Since there weren't any femme 'Cons, Megatron went for the next best thing which were obviously the animals trying to live peacefully in this place.

Barricade had tried to tell him to think about what Nova would have wanted at a time like this. He had been reminded of how she would frown deeply on his soul when she peered down at Megatron from the Well of All Sparks. True, Megatron didn't want her seeing him like this, but what could he do? He wanted the sweet bliss of death to sweep him away and let the world rot without him.

Yet no one could ever be that lucky. Death came when you never wanted it to. It sucked the soul of those who lost their lives and of those around the dearly departed. Primus only had enough mercy to prolong the inevitable by extending their Cybertronian life spans for so long. At least, compared to the humans it was. Yet the demon of death was still there, wearing a smug grin for it knew that no one could escape his wrath. That one day, all would tremble at its feet begging pathetically for mercy.

So then what was the point of living if there was nothing left to live for? The only thing that tethered him to the torture of existence was the fact that he still needed to get revenge. But what was cruel enough to make all tremble at his mercy?

Of course! That's it! The Autobots still had femmes yet they could barely keep the important one alive. He'd want everyone to fear him by breaking the very principle that all Cybertronians followed blindly. Femmes were already scarce by the time the war was in full swing and everyone knew not to extinguish them for they had a certain something that no other mech could ever duplicate. Whether it be gentleness, perspective, or even the way they could brighten someone's day by just being a femme, he couldn't tell.

But so distracted was he that Megatron was going to deliberately overlook that universal law. He wanted to take the three femmes he knew were within Autobot hands and kill them slowly in front of their allies. He _needed_ to hear their screams of pain, to see their bodies writhe and contort from the barbaric agony he was going to put them through.

He wanted their lives.

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><p><em><strong>~Don't be a stranger ;D<strong>_


	8. Update 4

Hey guys! Big but sorta old news. Okay, I never ever wanted to do this, but I've bitten off more than I could chew. In no way do I hate you, and in no way am I ever going to leave all of you hanging. NEVER. But… I guess I have to say it sometime… I… have to go *painful gulp* on hiatus.

Please don't hate me, because I'm hating me right now.

I won't whine to you about how difficult my life is or how I'm all depressed and muse-less or whatever (let the record show, my life is neither of those things). Plainly and simply, my computer is breaking and it won't let me type a solid chapter without freezing and me having to start all over.

I have to get it looked at, but the soonest time I can get that done is during the summer. Sad, I know. But I promise you, once my computer gets fixed, I will continue rewriting, deal? Unfortunately, DotM is going to be a while, mid-summer at the least.

This setback has been so annoying that it won't even let me touch Heart of War. I've rewritten the two oneshots that are between Behind the Story and Heart of War, though. I hope it's a better read than it was before. Also, you can bet that it is much different than it was originally (but I forgot which details I've changed, heheh).

Go ahead and read them if you have the time. They are, after all, oneshots, so it won't take a huge chunk of your time away. Feel free to re-review them because I do still rely on your critiques.

I've always told myself to never go on hiatus because I'm strong enough or whatever. Apparently my computer isn't at the same level as I am. Please forgive me and know that I feel absolutely horrible that I'm on hiatus.

Love and peace, my readers!

_**~Don't be a stranger ;D**_


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